My Nature Notes column for Torbay Weekly (1st October 2020) was about our urban badgers.
Read the online version and other articles on Torbay Weekly’s website here
Tag Archive: Badger
In the letters page of today’s Dorset Echo (22nd May 2013), one wonders if the anonymous writer is (or is a friend of) ‘Nick’ who commented on a previous pro-cull article on here: https://leeconnorblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/reply-from-the-pro-badger-cull-lobby/
Yet again, no real points are made…
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/yousay/yourletters/10435185.Badgers_are_danger_to_cows/
In reply to the two letters which you have printed in defence of badgers, may I reply.
Since the unwise legislation a few years ago which made these animals a protected species, there has been a vast increase in their numbers, they have probably trebled. After all badgers have no natural enemies.
There seems to be movement away from the issue of Bovine TB (which I thought was the reason for the cull) to a need to control rising badger numbers.
An interesting theme from the pro-cull lobby is the reference to the badger being an apex predator with nothing to control its numbers. Do these people making these claims drive around with their eyes shut?
Robert Tuck writes in today’s (17th May 2013) Bournemouth Echo (and Dorset Echo) in support of my letter from last week.
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/yoursay/letterstotheeditor/10426821.Money_wasted_over_cull_issue/
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/yousay/yourletters/10427015.Badger_cull_a_waste_of_time/
Lee Connor (Letters, May 10) is absolutely correct about the badger cull.
This government has spent and wasted £50million of taxpayers’ money on research, the findings of which they are now choosing to deliberately ignore in order to curry favour with their farming supporters, although it has to be noted that a few farmers are not in favour of this cull. Much destruction and cruelty will be caused which could be avoided by a systematic vaccination programme, which is already being trialled in some areas by those who are trying desperately to save the badgers.
From the letters page of the Bournemouth Echo (14th May 2013) a reader replies to my article. Interestingly enough, I was willing to put my name to my convictions; this person ‘name and address withheld’ obviously thinks differently…
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/yoursay/letterstotheeditor/10417646.Badger_cull_is_long_overdue/
The badger cull is not a mistake, it is long overdue. I speak as a keen naturalist.
BADGER & CHILD INTERACTION
Further to my attempts to strengthen the anti-cull campaign, I’ve uploaded some pictures taken last year of the local family of badgers that pay visits to my back garden.
The family arrive for supper
This family of badgers live in a sett a few streets away and often visited the garden to dig up earthworms – their favourite food. After some time, I started leaving out food for them and eventually the visitors increased after the arrival of two cubs.
From the letters page of the Bournemouth Echo (10th May 2013)
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/yoursay/letterstotheeditor/10411809.Badgers_cull_is_a_big_mistake/
I would like to inform wildlife-loving readers of the Daily Echo of the government’s plans to use Dorset as a ‘reserve’ in their planned cull of badgers.
Many may have believed the plans to slaughter thousands of badgers had been consigned to the scrapheap but this isn’t the case; it is set to begin in earnest in June, to be trialled in Gloucestershire and Somerset.
Lee Connor 