|
|
|
|
Hi <<First Name>>
With the official cull now over in all zones for this year, it's time for many of us to enjoy a well-earned break. However, some groups have already started sett surveying in new areas just in case the culls are rolled out further next year, whilst others are checking existing zones to make sure no culling operations continue under the radar.
We will redouble our efforts in the New Year to sett check all the zones to see how our badgers have fared during the cull, as well as surveying new areas to find where we'll need to protect next year.
If you'd like to get involved with this in your local area, all the contact details can be found at the end of this newsletter. If you've never surveyed before, your local group will have plenty of experienced people who are more than happy to have new people join them and learn hands-on. More details follow in the newsletter.
Somerset Against The Badger Cull will be at the Vegan Fair in Taunton on 16 December if you'd like to chat with members of the group. Further details are below.
But for now, we'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped in any way this year, whether you've been out in the field, helped to support us financially, written to your MP or local newspapers or shared our social media posts.
It's been hard work, but we are ready to do so again in a heartbeat!
|
|
A heartfelt thank you from Somerset Against The Badger Cull - video
|
|
|
|
With the cull now over for this year, we wanted to end on a positive note.
|
|
Location, location, location
|
|
With the sad reality of 20 zones within the South West, we've now added new areas that you can choose to receive information from and about.
These areas represent those that are already licensed or may be licensed to cull in the future, along with areas that could potentially form sub-groups within the main groups, e.g. Bristol.
|
|
|
|
To check that the details we hold for you are still correct or to change which areas you're interested in, please click here.
|
|
Could a pioneering vet’s bTB test end the cull?
|
|
Research at a secret location in Devon may help eradicate bovine tuberculosis without a single badger being killed, says leading vet
|
|
|
Unfortuantely the link that some people received in last month's newsletter was broken, so we're including this story again for those who couldn't open it. If you haven't read it you'll find it interesting and it's also mentioned in the Lush Podcast further down in this newsletter.
|
|
|
A pretty stone farmhouse sits in a green valley, surrounded by airy cowsheds. It looks like a timeless west country scene but is actually a pioneering farm, where cutting-edge science is helping to solve the hugely controversial problem of (bTB).
|
|
|
|
As an expanded badger cull got underway this autumn, in which 33,500 animals will be killed a leading vet, Dick Sibley, believes this Devon farm demonstrates a way to eradicate the disease in cattle – without slaughtering any badgers. Read the article.
|
|
We got mail - lots of it!
|
|
|
The Government may hope that opposition to the badger cull is fading but the number of people contacting Somerset Against The Badger Cull is increasing year on year.
|
|
|
|
From spring 2017 to date, Somerset Against The Badger Cull answered several hundred emails from people wanting to get involved generally, and a hundred or so from people wanting to get specifically involved with Somerset Badger Patrol. We also have landowners contacting us to see how they can best protect their badgers, and our intelligence network continues to grow. As autumn turns to winter and we shift our focus back to sett surveying, we look forward to receiving many more.
|
|
|
If you're unable to get actively involved, but would like to buy the group a coffee to help keep badger protectors out and protecting badgers, you can do so by clicking the KoFi logo shown on the right.
|
|
|
This year South Hams Oppose The Badger Cull, is celebrating garden badgers with its 2018 Wounded Badger Patrol calendar.
With Christmas just around the corner, these would make an ideal present for badger loving family and friends.
The calendars cost £7.50 plus p&p, with profits going towards a rescue/holding cage for the area. Numbers are limited so if you would like one, please visit South Hams Oppose the Badger Cull's Facebook page.
|
|
|
Lush podcast with Somerset Against The Badger Cull - audio
|
|
|
|
Charlie Moores recently visited Somerset to talk with some of the volunteers working to protect badgers.
|
|
With this year's cull now behind us, and with foliage and undergrowth beginning to die away, this is a great time to meet up with some friends, get out into the fresh air, and do something of vital importance into the bargain.
|
|
|
Since the 2016 cull ended, hundreds of people have spent thousands of hours surveying across at least 21 areas. If you patrolled, sett sat or adopted setts this year, it's highly likely that the badgers in those areas were located by sett surveyors.
With the potential of even further roll out next year (the Government's aim has been to ultimately have 40 zones running) badgers need even more people to get involved to undertake this work.
If you've never surveyed before, it's not a problem. All the groups have plenty of experienced people to train you. It's done during daylight hours, you can be out for as long as you like and it's certainly addictive. Nothing beats the feeling of discovering a really active sett and knowing that those badgers will, from then on, have people watching out for them.
Even if you're not in a current cull zone, it's still worth contacting your local group, as most will be surveying their areas in preparation for any future roll out. Many of this year's new zones had been surveying for years before the cull landed on their doorsteps. All the groups' contact details can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.
If you've not surveyed before and are wondering what's involved, we've put together a short, easy to read document that will give you a good idea.
|
|
Badgers alive and well in the Gloucestershire cull zone
|
|
This photograph is simple but poignant. It’s one of the last taken out in the field in Gloucestershire during sett checks at the end of the badger cull.
The weather had been dreadful for days. Strong, gusting winds and heavy rain. But all that mud helped sett checkers in their task, showing as it did the very recent activity at a massive and ancient badger sett.
Not a human footprint there but their own. No signs of blood stains. No telltale imprint of a cage trap anywhere about.
|
|
|
|
Not a single bait hole to be seen. Well within the cull zone and on land known to be involved in it, here was a tiny strand of hopefulness. The attention it had received, completely surrounded by public footpaths, had made it almost impossible to target. And so... badgers were still occupying this sett. Obviously coming and going with regularity. They were ALIVE.
|
|
Fundraising Christmas cards
|
|
|
This year Somerset Against The Badger cull has a new design Christmas card that has been painted by one of its patrollers. The card has been designed generically so that other groups can use it for their fundraising efforts too. SABC also has some of its 2016 design cards left over, both the Christmas card and the blank Sam Cannon Art cards. Also available are a limited number of the Sam Cannon giclée prints. Send us an email if you'd like anything and we'll work out a price for you.
|
|
Come and chat to Somerset Against The Badger Cull at the Taunton Vegan Fair on Saturday 16 December.
The event is free and features over 20 stalls, talks, and food, including vegan afternoon cream teas! Click here for full details.
Wilton Church Hall, Fons George, Taunton TA1 3JT
|
|
|
Mid Devon Badger Patrol will be holding monthly walks for existing and would be patrollers, starting from Saturday 2 December. The first walk will meet near Killerton at 10am and will be 3 to 5 miles.
For more details email or ring 07452 947 842.
|
|
|
With so much about the badger cull in the news at the moment, this section contains links to relevant press and online articles.
|
|
|
If you're new to this newsletter you can always catch up with past editions here.
This page is updated monthly. If you've received this newsletter from a friend you can also use the same page to subscribe to your relevant area's mailing list as well.
|
|
|
Social media and contact links
|
|
Gloucestershire and Herefordshire links
|
|
Groups and sites we like!
|
|
Subscribe to the mailing list
|
|
If you've received this newsletter from a friend and would like to receive your own monthly copy and important updates from Somerset Against The Badger Cull, Devon and Cornwall Against The Badger Cull or Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting (and sub-groups), just click here to subscribe and we'll add you to the mailing list.
Like, share and comment on our newsletter with Facebook  |
|
Copyright © 2017 Somerset Against the Badger Cull, Devon and Cornwall Against The Badger Cull, Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting, Wiltshire Against The Badger Cull
You are receiving this email because you were either on one of our existing mailing lists, subscribed online or signed up at an event. If we've spelled your name incorrectly or you want to change your email address, please use the 'update subscription preferences' link below. If you no longer wish to be contacted by either Somerset Against The Badger Cull, Devon and Cornwall Against The Badger Cull or Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting or Wiltshire Against The Badger Cull you can unsubscribe below, but we'd be sorry to see you go. Your sign up source - <<Event>>
unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
