Badger Cull

[PoshPuss]

This weekend the Government has sanctioned the slaughter of wild badgers in the Somerset/ Gloucester area.

The evidence for this mass cull is debatable, certainly the farmers have just cause to want to eradicate TB from their herds, but to blame badger interaction only for the condition is foolhardy. The RSPCA condemn this action i.e.,the cull and want more action on the vaccination of cattle and the badger community.

There is a movement headed by Brian May (of 'Queen' fame) urging resistance to the badger slaughter, his petition highlights the cruelty of the planned killings to be undertaken by inexperienced gunmen, and the research that indicates the futility of this act to control TB in cattle.


Please sign the petition or just read the arguments and support the voices raised to defend our shy, vulnerable badgers from an awful end of life.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/may/30/humaneness-badger-cull-judged-noise

[angieh]

Thanks for posting about this horrendous cull, PP.

This is the text on an email I have received from HSI (I'm on their mailing list).

"We’ve uncovered shocking revelations about the suffering badgers may endure during the pilot culls — and the killing could start as early as next week.

It’s taken almost seven months, but DEFRA has finally revealed information to us, and our worst fears have been confirmed: Many badgers are likely to suffer a horrible death.

Badgers need your help today: Tell your MP that this slaughter is unacceptable and the culls must be stopped – now!

The DEFRA document is a shocking insight, revealing that badgers killed outright will die due to “severe trauma to vital organs”, those who are not shot cleanly will likely die from wounding leading to “secondary infections and starvation because of reduced mobility”.

It continues, “... the extent of suffering will vary depending on which tissues are damaged and the rate of blood loss” and talks of badgers experiencing “Severe haemorrhaging, increase in respiratory rates, hyperventilation”.

If these culls go ahead a significant number of badgers are in danger of being maimed but not killed, resulting in unnecessary – and in some cases extreme – suffering. These mortally wounded animals may crawl back underground into their setts to die a slow, agonising death.

We have no time to lose -- badgers need our help right now. Please, write to your MP today -- help save these animals from a dreadful fate.

Thank you for all you do for animals.

Sincerely,

mark_jones_sign.gif
Mark Jones
Executive Directow
Humane Society International/UK

There is a March planned for tomorrow - Saturday June 1st - there is a f*book page, but obviously I cannot post the link here.

Please sign Brian May's petition - this is a needlessly cruel policy based on very poor science.

THANK YOU!

Here is the HSI site: http://www.hsi.org/world/united_kingdom/

[Phoenix]

Thanks for posting this PP, they shouldn't cull the badgers :(

[PoshPuss]

Please keep special prayers in your hearts for the beautiful creatures who await an awful fate from this day forward just because they carry a curable disease. Raise awareness please, do what you can, write to your MP, this is cruel and unwarranted killing that a vaccination programme can prevent. Seems it's easier to kill than cure!

God Save our Badgers. :(

[angieh]

BADGER, BADGER, BADGER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EllYgcWmcAY

[fancyabrew]

Please keep special prayers in your hearts for the beautiful creatures who await an awful fate from this day forward just because they carry a curable disease. Raise awareness please, do what you can, write to your MP, this is cruel and unwarranted killing that a vaccination programme can prevent. Seems it's easier to kill than cure!

God Save our Badgers. :(

This is a very emotive issue, but what you're saying isn't really true. TB is NOT curable and there isn't an effective vaccine that can be delivered reliably in the wild badger population. Just because badgers are fluffy, doesn’t mean that a solution that *might* include culling shouldn’t be validated. This is a TRIAL the whole point of a trial is to see if it is effective, that’s why certain groups interfering with the trial isn’t helpful (and they have done this before with the Krebs trial) Let the culls take place and let the results be evaluated, and the science be peer reviewed properly. I note nothing is being mentioned about the cattle that land up being slaughtered and farmers lives ruined when a heard gets infected. Are cattle not fluffy enough?

[Kim]

Well done for highlighting this dreadful cull Poshpuss. I have written to my MP and signed petitions, etc. It really is dreadful. The death the badgers will have is unthinkable, people need to stand up for them, and thank goodness thousands have.