Good News for Blacka's Badgers

The news that the badger cull is not to be rolled out across the country means some of our wildlife may be safer at least from official government persecution, whatever any gun happy locals choose to do. I've heard enough early morning gunshots recently to fear for anything that moves. The country sports ideology is one thing that's not dead yet. Also we should not miss the fact that the cull in the west country goes on with 'better marksmen'.

The report leading to the change of policy mentions the cruelty of the culling process when shooters fail to kill  instantly and badgers have taken five minutes to die. One comment below the line in the newspaper article draws attention to the shameless duplicity of the politicians involved. Owen Paterson in 2000 reported to parliament that he was in favour of fox hunting because it was kinder than shooting.

In fact it (shooting) is indiscriminate; healthy adult foxes and nursing vixens will be just as likely to be shot as older foxes. In all my years of hunting, I have seen numerous foxes which have been wounded by inaccurate shooting. Most farmers own guns; they are not expert shots and shot is not powerful enough to kill a fox. The abolition of hunting would leave many foxes to die long, lingering deaths and I have no doubt that this is significantly more cruel than death by hunting. ..

Yet it was he when Environment Secretary that gave the go ahead to farmers to shoot badgers!!