  
Welcome to Save The Badger – a web site campaigning against culling, trapping, snaring, baiting, and any other form of persecution of badgers. On 13th January 2010, the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) announced they had given the final go-ahead for a "cull" of Badgers – we use the word cull but we feel slaughter would have been a more accurate word to describe their plans. In response, Save The Badger was set up as an umbrella group to coordinate the campaign against this unwarranted attack on our wildlife and countryside. After a long, hard, campaign and a huge amount of effort from everyone – including a large number of donations from the public which meant a legal challenge to WAG’s decision could be made – we were extremely relieved that on 13th July, 2011 the cull was finally halted due to a decision by the Court of Appeal. Of course, when facing threats like those in Wales that affect our wildlife, environment, and indeed our planet, there is never really a time for celebration as new threats, and new challenges, emerge almost daily – and we also realise that, even now, in Wales there remains a powerful lobby who still seem determined to make badgers an easy scapegoat for disease in livestock As a thank you to all those involved – and hopefully an inspiration to others here in the UK and indeed throughout the world who face similar threats to badgers – a record of our campaign in Wales can be found on this site, as well as much of the opinion and evidence that led us to firmly believe that the, so called, culling of badgers will not solve the problem of Bovine tuberculosis. Sadly, on 15h December the UK government in Westminster announced that they now also plan to “cull” badgers in two areas of England. Their specific locations have as yet not been released, but they have also indicated that following this they then intend to extend their “cull” across the country. Badgers are protected by Law, just like you, me and all of us, and any Government, individual, or organisation, needs to take note that to take away that protection there should be hard evidence that there is some justification for such an extreme measure – but as was proved through the Courts in Wales in reality there was no definitive evidence that killing badgers would actually substantially reduce instances of bovine TB. Save The Badger are sympathetic to the plight of farmers and we are concerned equally with the welfare of cows as we are with badgers – and indeed all other animals –yet we strongly believe the overwhelming amount of expert scientific evidence which has found that killing badgers is not the answer to TB in cattle. Save The Badger campaign badges, please contact us for more information With the UK Westmister Government now declaring that they intend carrying out a "cull" of badgers in the Autumn of 2012, time is of the essence. All those who oppose their actions need to start talking to each other. We need to join together. We need to plan a coordinated response. And, we need to do that now! We also hold the view that it would be unwise for any organisation opposing the government's plans to rely solely on a legal challenge through the Courts. While this may indeed be a very necessary measure, we feel that it is very important we raise awareness and harness the huge amount of opposition there is amongst the general public. As always, we also insist that all protest and forms of opposition must remain within the law – we must strongly fight against this injustice, but we must do this reasonably. Save The Badger was set up as an umbrella group to coordinate the campaign against the Welsh Assembly Government's plan to slaughter badgers by the thousand in Wales in early 2010, but as with this latest threat it will of course also fight any similar plans by the Westminster government, or indeed any of the other devolved powers in the UK. Please take the time to look through the pages on our site. We will try to bring you any up to date information and news which is of particular relevance and this latest threat to our badgers unfolds more pages will be updated and new pages with particular relevance to the cull in England will be added We will also periodically feature the views and opinions of prominent individuals who oppose culling badgers in the UK. We begin with a piece by Welsh writer and environmental activist, John Evans. Don't forget, we want to hear your news, and we also want you views. We must unite together to fight this premeditated act of barbarity. Please also feel free contact us by clicking the link at the side of the page. "The evidence is that a badger cull on a scale or level of efficiency that seems feasible will not solve cattle farmers' problem – that problem is truly serious. Understandably, the feeling is that something must be done, but the evidence is that it should not be a badger cull." Sir David Attenborough “We must not make badgers scapegoats for bovine TB”. Joanna Lumley "I say no to this or any other badger cull and I urge all caring people to do the same. Get rid of ignorance, not badgers.” Benjamin Zephaniah copyright © www.savethebadger.com |
