Impending Intensive Badger Cull must be halted say animal welfare groups
- Badger Trust Staff Team
- Aug 17, 2022
- 3 min read
Badger Trust is joined by leading animal welfare groups in a call to avert local extinctions of badgers
The intensive badger cull is due to start in the next few weeks and Badger Trust has been joined by Born Free, FOUR PAWS, IFAW, League Against Cruel Sports and the RSPCA in asking Natural England to immediately suspend the cull, in the light of the impact the extreme weather conditions and drought have had on local badger populations.
The organisations warn of the possibility of local extinction events in intensive cull areas e.g. parts of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Cornwall, Devon and Dorset.
The letter asks:
“We are collectively asking for an immediate suspension of the upcoming cull in intensive zones in light of the impact that extreme weather is having on badgers and their cubs. Population levels have fallen, and badger clans are in severe distress. Going ahead with an intensive cull under these conditions increases the possibility of local extinction events in areas badgers have thrived for 500,000 years”
Peter Hambly, Executive Director of Badger Trust added,
“The national wildlife tragedy that is the English Badger Cull needs to stop. The thought of the local extinction of badgers in areas they have thrived for thousands of years is horrific This severe weather and drought conditions have made the situation desperate in many areas, to continue with the intensive cull in these conditions is inhumane.”
Read the Open letter to Marian Spain, Chief Executive of Natural England, calling for an immediate halt to the impending intensive badger cull due to extreme weather impact.
Signatories:
Peter Hambly, Executive Director, Badger Trust
Dr Mark Jones, Head of Policy, Born Free
Emily Wilson, Head of Programmes UK, FOUR PAWS UK
Frances Goodrum, Head of Advocacy, IFAW UK
Andy Knott, Chief Executive, League Against Cruel Sports
Adam Grogan, Head of Wildlife, RSPCA
Further Information:
The effect of hot weather on badgers and how to help
The favoured prey source of the badger is earthworms, but when the ground gets very dry, worms go into a state of torpor called ‘estivation’. This means that worms are impossible to come by.
To feed or not to feed in hot summer weather?
If you choose to feed a hungry badger in need, please provide a natural food source – such as unsweetened fruit and nuts – or covered cat biscuits. And please leave some fresh water in the shade.
Please remember – providing food for any wild animal is a balance; supplementary feeding should be just that.
How much water does a badger need?
Not as much as you'd expect for a large mammal as they mainly get moisture from their food. But with so little rainfall this month, leaving out fresh water in a shaded area of your garden benefits badgers and all your wildlife visitors.
A bowl of fresh water could provide a lifeline for a badger in scorching weather, especially if they are too dehydrated to make it back to their sett.
Top up water at night as well, so there’s plenty of fresh water for badgers and other nocturnal wildlife.
Why do you sometimes see badgers in daylight more often when it's hot?
It can be because their quest for food takes them out at times they'd normally be sleeping.
It can also be uncomfortable underground and they frequently use 'day nests'; this is where badgers lay up on bedding under a hedge or tree, sometimes in a garden or under a shed, your compost heap or down an alley.
The best thing is to leave the badger alone as it'll go when it's ready, that night in most cases.
What to do if you're worried about a badger
If you see a badger alone during the day and you’re worried it may be in distress, contact your local Badger Group or local wildlife rescue for help and advice.
Read more articles about badgers
Read about the rescue of rare white badger cub ‘Elsa’. High temperatures and dry ground had left Elsa unable to forage or drink for some time, which had made her weak and susceptible to parasites.
Discover more about how drought affects badgers.
Read why unpopular and cruel new badger cull targets cubs and risks localised badger population collapse.
