The controversial badger cull in England has failed to kill even half the minimum number of animals needed to ensure tuberculosis in cattle is curbed, sources have told the Guardian. Scientists say the failure may well result in more rather than fewer bovine TB infections, while cull opponents are calling for an immediate end to […]
Tag: Badger
Look, a badger – kill it!
A dozen strong men to dig. A dozen good dogs wearing collars and bells to work underground. A large spade. Broad and narrow picks. Wood and iron shovels. A stout pair of long-handled tongs. Hessian sacks. Half a dozen rugs to lie on. Indian game fowls, hams and beef tongue to eat. Flagons of booze. […]
Badger cull: first graphic photo of shot animal emerges
The first photographs have emerged of what appears to be a badger killed in the controversial culls taking place in England. A single high velocity bullet killed the animal, passing right through it, the vet who examined the carcass told the Guardian. Most badgers she had seen shot before the cull had been peppered with […]
Summer Wildlife in Japan
For many people, Japan conjures up images of high technology, fast-paced modern cities, ancient temples and shrines, unique cuisine and intriguing traditions; but Japan is also well worth visiting for its wildlife, particularly during the summer months when escaping from the hot sweltering cities to the cooler, refreshing countryside is rewarding in itself. Not only […]
Do you support the Badger culls which start next week?
England’s controversial badger culls are set to begin on the night of 26 August, the Guardian has learned. The start of the shooting of badgers, aimed at curbing tuberculosis (TB) in cattle, will come after an injunction sought by the National Farmers’ Union to ban certain protesters from farmland is heard in the high court. […]
Badger cull: only small proportion of shootings to be monitored for humaneness
Only a small proportion of badger shootings in the pilot cull will be monitored to make sure it is humane. The government was accused of not properly assessing the animals’ suffering after a freedom of information (FoI) request revealed that as few as 120 shootings will be independently observed, out of about 5,000 badgers set […]
Gassing of badgers considered in plan to eradicate TB in cattle
The gassing of badgers is being considered as part of a government plan to eradicate tuberculosis in cattle in England in the next 25 years. The strategy, published on Thursday, also includes ongoing research on giving badgers contraceptives in order to reduce their numbers. Further measures in the plan to control bovine TB, a disease […]
Culls risk illegally exterminating badgers, animal expert warns
England’s highly controversial badger culls risk illegally wiping out every badger in the cull zones because the animals’ numbers are so poorly known, according to one of the UK’s leading badger experts. The culls, intended to curb tuberculosis in cattle, are authorised to begin on 1 June but could prove unworkable because of the uncertainty […]