 |
| Badger "Runs" from the lane, up into the field |
This is not going to be rant about open cupboard doors, toilet seats being left up or
landing lights being left on.......I got rid of all that emotional rubbish in yesterday's blog
no, it's just a comment about badgers.
The other night I counted eight badgers on the field. Eight! Sure they looked cute as buttons as they squabbled their noisy way in between the hen houses, but it IS a worrying fact that their numbers have rocketed noticably over the past couple of years...so much so, that in my tiny corner of rural peace and quiet,hedges have been damaged (ABOVE PHOTO),fences have been undermined and increasing amounts of the neighbours' gardens have been dug up and damaged.
It is obvious to people that live in the country that badger numbers are reaching pest levels
what isn't obvious is how the problem should be addressed, if at all.
The recent cull in parts of England was put on hold mainly because badger numbers were thought to be far too high...if that is indeed the case, I wonder just how devistating this explosion of badger numbers will have on the rural landscape.
we shall see.
btw. I have left a small silent video which was taken at dawn this morning. I was playing around with my grotty camera....which is playing up as much as blogger is this morning.
so much so, that I am having huge problems even writing this blog entry.
Is anyone else having problems?
hummm?
hummm?
Constantly having problems. Blogger says it is logging me out because I am logged in at another location. Pictures sometimes upload with most of the picture corrupted and commenting on peoples blogs is sometimes impossible.
ReplyDeleteI have seen badgers around here, not that I am very experienced in such things, I think they have been in my garden too. At the moment I am still wide eyed and innocent about how nice that is, but I do recognise the potential problems of too many. One of next door's cats was killed by one too, which is horrible.
Oh, I thought badgers was a euphemism. I am a city boy, I don't think I have even seen a badger before.
ReplyDeleteI'm with The Badger Brigade. Badgers were here before us. Worryingly, we are starting to view them in the same way that Americans view raccoons. Many of their setts are incredibly old - sometimes thousands of years old - and fossilised badger remains have been found in various British locations. As someone who grew up in a small village surrounded by farmland, I would be happy if the name of this island was changed to Badgerland with badgers on our banknotes and badger badges on our lapels. Up The Badgers!
ReplyDeleteBadgers are a big issue in the West Country. On a neighbouring farm they've had to destroy many TB infected dairy cows over the last few months. And found dead badgers in the watercourses. But, if it can be made to work, I'd still prefer to see badger vaccination over culling.
ReplyDeleteLove the video! Typical goose pose. Head down to anything that comes close - camera, cameraman, hens, whatever!
I can't ever support culling of any animal group...but if there is a need to control numbers I'd have no issue with that. They make a terrible noise in our garden too..or is that the foxes...
ReplyDeleteYour flock looks mighty happy this morning!
ReplyDeleteIt isn't just in the country. We have a badger run at the end of our garden - they've bashed an entrance through the fence on one side and an exit through our neighbour's fence on the other. It's no real problem, but then I'm no gentleman farmer!
ReplyDeletewe don't have that problem here in Canada. We have the odd raccoon and various coyotes popping by. We had more trouble with raccoons living in the city than we do here in the countryside?
ReplyDeleteI haven't even seen a fox over here?
Gill in Canada
Raccoons,skunks,deer,bears,wolves,coyotes ,foxes,et al romp all over our place often leaving 'damage' in their wake.That's the perils of sharing their land,and I wouldn't want it any other way.
ReplyDeleteJane x
Of course I noticed Camilla the Canada Goose! I had forgotten you had one, John.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if enough people complained to the powers that be, if then
....to continue......there's you answer about blogger John....your comment published as I was commenting....
Deletethere would be a 'cull' of these badgers? Start calling your member of parliament/local representative.
Culls of all animals, that breed to excess, are essential to the well-being of the countryside. But, as you say, it's HOW this is achieved that is the problem. Frankly, if you could count as many as EIGHT Badgers in your field; I'd buy yourself a .22 rifle.
ReplyDeletethey range in my field cro... I am not sure just where the main set is though. sometimes at night you can hear them galloping up and down the lane like puppies... one of the local farmers says that at lambing time when he checks the fields at night, badgers sometimes out number the ewes
DeleteJohn....Jim can't even access his blog now...a malware flash pops up and denies him access.....is this similar to your problem?
ReplyDeleteRon
I loved the video, and Camilla looks stunning! I've got wildlife aplenty in my back yard. We have fishers here, which are probably related to badgers. They give a cry similar to a fox that makes one's blood run cold.
ReplyDeletebadger problem is such a worry here- there is a great need to control their numbers but alas common sense went out of the window when the countryside was turned into a huge theme park...sorry, you'll start me on a rant now!
ReplyDeleteIt is a sensitive area here John as there are a lot of dairy herds around. I honestly don't know where I stand on the issue - I like to bury my head in the sand over it. But I do know that lovely fluffy little rabbits can overrun an area if left unchecked and nobody gets in a lather about folk taking their guns to them do they? I do sometimes wonder what the difference is.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about the culling of badgers.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't seem right to reduce their numbers just because it's not convenient for us humans to have so many around. On the other hand, we have the livelihoods of people to consider, also the damage to the countryside.
My main worry is how it's done. Inflicting suffering on badgers to bring about their demise horrifies me. If it can be done instantly and painlessly I would be happier.
The state of Minnesota recently decided that the efforts to bring back the timberwolf and succeeded well enough that we could have a wolf hunting season. There were 400 applicants for a wolf hunting license. That's 400 people who wanted to kill a wolf! Even though there was an outcry, the season ended with 55 wolves killed for no reason--except that we moved into their territory and decided to raise farm animals.
ReplyDeleteMy blogger was crap last week, but has now improved. On Gardener's Question Time today, they recommend leaving dog-food out for the badgers, so that they leave your lawn alone. Some people sprinkle chopped chilli around roots as well. Got any spare dog-food?
ReplyDeleteI love your birds John.
ReplyDeleteThey stopped culling badgers because they have too many. That doesn't make sense. What would lose a meal by culling badgers?
ReplyDeleteHope your stock stays safe, John!
As for blogger, I'm always having to log back in. Annoying.
Have a good weekend, John.
John, beware; a badger brook our coop one night, smashing the nesting boxes with its head. It took a loved hen, the one that the children used to wheel about in the pushchair!!! Since then we've electrified a fence round the coop at night and we've had no issue.
ReplyDeleteWe're also seeing a marked increase in badgers and fox.