The horrifying truth behind the badger cull
As the government continues the mass slaughter of the muchloved and protected woodland creatures, Closer investigates the shocking reality of England’s controversial scheme…
❛ THIS SYSTEMATIC CRUEL SLAUGHTER OF A PROTECTED SPECIES IS A NATIONAL DISGRACE ❜
Heartbreaking photographs released last month showed the lifeless bodies of bloodied badgers, stuffed into plastic bags, waiting to be sent to an incinerator.
The images horrified many people but, shockingly, thousands of badgers are slaughtered every autumn as part of the UK government’s annual culling scheme.
This year alone, 64,000 badgers are expected to be killed – with numbers predicted to be higher due to a 30 per cent increase in culling areas, which now includes 41 counties across the UK.
Farmers insist the cull is vital in order to stop badgers infecting cattle with Bovine TB (bTB). The infectious disease – spread when badgers drink or eat from cattle troughs – affects 40,000 cows every year, causing huge financial strain on farmers and rural communities.
But many leading wildlife charities oppose the cull, saying that it’s a cruel and ineffective way of tackling the bTB endemic. They also cite that badgers have been a protected species since 1973, in order to prevent badger-baiting.
They also cite that being a protected species prevents the unlawful killing of listed animals. But sadly the government’s culling is exempt.
Dominic Dyer, CEO of Badger Trust, who released the photographs, has dubbed the cull a national disgrace.
RISK EXTINCTION
He said, “These brutal and heartbreaking images show slaughtered badgers bagged up like rubbish to be burned and forgotten. This systematic cruel slaughter of a protected species is a national disgrace.
“Every night, across 41 areas of England, stretching from Cornwall to Cumbria, badger cull contractors are killing hundreds of badgers under government-issued licences, in the largest destruction of a protected species in living memory.
“Most of these badgers are killed without any independent monitoring and many are being slaughtered by a cruel ineffective controlled shooting method, which results in badgers taking up to five minutes to die from multiple bullet wounds, blood loss and organ failure.
“None of the badgers killed are tested for bTB and over 85 per cent are likely to be disease-free.
The cull contractors simply record the numbers killed, then bag up the badgers and leave them to be thrown into incinerators for disposal.”
Since the badger cull began, the breakdown of herds due to bTB has reportedly only been reduced by around 15 per cent.
And experts suggest that there is no scientific evidence to prove that badgers spread bTB, which affects mostly cattle.
Dominic says, “The Badger Trust has made recommendations to the government and the opposition to set up a National Badger Vaccination Strategy.
“This would result in a complete halt to badger culling in favour of establishing the largest wildlife vaccination project ever undertaken in Britain.
“With increased public funding for vaccination training and equipment, and a government information campaign to promote badger vaccination to farmers as a viable alternative to badger culling – which is more humane and cost-effective – we’re confident this could lead to a significant reduction in TB in badgers, without killing wildlife.”
While the financial cost of the badger cull is huge – it’s thought to have cost taxpayers £40m since the cull began in 2013, roughly £1,000 per badger – the biggest cost is undoubtedly the threat to the UK’s wildlife.
The purpose of a cull is to reduce the badger population
by 70 per cent for the duration of the cull, which some fear could risk extinction.
Dominic says, “Over 130,000 badgers could be killed in the cull by the end of this year, pushing this protected species to the verge of local extinction in areas of England where it has inhabited since the Ice Age.”
DEVASTATION
But despite concerns from animal activists, the government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), say that the badger cull is important in trying to beat TB.
A spokesperson from DEFRA tells Closer, “Bovine TB remains one of the greatest animal health threats to the UK, causing devastation for hard-working farmers and rural communities.
“There is no single measure that will provide an easy answer to beating the disease. That is why we are pursuing a range of interventions to eradicate the disease by 2038, including tighter cattle movement controls, regular testing and vaccinations.”