Badgers raiding bait at remote camera site

These badgers cleaned out all the bait at this site over a four day period. I say badgers (plural) because I think it was different animal at the end of the clip on day three.

Save our Badgers

All the available scientific evidence suggests that plans to shoot badgers will do very little to prevent the spread of bovine TB in cattle, is not a long term solution and may well make the situation worse.
Find out more by visiting The Badger Trust and Save Me
You can also explore other options to our currently outdated practices by visiting Rethink Bovine TB and Bovine TB

SIGN THE PETITION TO STOP THE PLAN TO SHOOT BADGERS

Badger culling and bovine TB

I, like many others, am disappointed to hear that thousands of badgers are going to be culled in ongoing efforts to combat the increase in bovine TB. I do however recognise that bTB is an extremely serious problem and having spent some time reading available literature on the subject, I can go some way to understanding why it is felt that badger culling is necessary in some areas.

I am curious to know if there is an explanation for the higher bTB incidence in the Midlands, south west and Wales. The figures suggest that there are environmental factors involved for which I have not seen data. If so, badgers would seem to be only a part of the issue and as much a victim as cattle. To my mind this would make badger culls only a stop gap solution and not the final answer to the problem.

Data suggests that the south west and Wales are acting as a disease reservoir for the rest of the country.

If anyone can add anything to this question I would be interested to hear.

I've just asked the NFU about the geographical distribution of the disease and it will be interesting to see what they have to say.

At least two Badgers at sett

Second Badger at sett from Ron Bury on Vimeo.

A second Badger made an appearance at the Badger sett in the early hours of Friday 25th February. I think that one of them is a Boar responding to scent marking by the Badger I believe to be a Sow. Mind you, it's all guessing as it's difficult to analyse with infra-red video clips, especially when each one is only 15 seconds long.

As I said before, I'm hoping there are young in the sett which will come above ground in early April if all is well. The sett has only three main entrances and is probably not that large underground, so I don't think that there will be many permanent occupants.

Wood Mouse hunting Badger from Ron Bury on Vimeo.

I called this second clip "Wood Mouse hunting Badger" but I'm not being very serious!

I hope the Lizard I saw yesterday found a warm bed for the night because we had a frost early today.
So much for spring. Mind you, it's been quit pleasant today so far, though not as warm.