STAND up for badgers! That’s the message from the Warwickshire and Worcestershire Wildlife Trusts as the Government looks to canvas support for Bovine TB proposals that could see the death of 130,000 more of the creatures.
The trusts say that the Government’s most recent announcement implied that culling was coming to an end.
However they now believe this was hugely misleading.
In fact, under the proposals new licences can still be issued until 2022, each licence lasts for four years meaning badgers would go on being killed until at least 2026.
The Wildlife Trusts have always been firmly opposed to the badger cull and believe it is an ineffective tool in the fight against bovine tuberculosis.
They say that to date, more than 140,000 badgers have been culled and that the proposals recently announced by the Government as part of a consultation process will result in approximately another 130,000 badgers being killed, taking the total to almost 300,000.
The total badger population in England and Wales was estimated to be around 485,000 in 2017.
In a statement the Trusts say: “This is our last opportunity to push back on these plans, and prevent further slaughter of these magnificent, supposedly protected animals.
“We urge the Government to stop unnecessary badger killing. Stand up for badgers now and oppose these new culling plans with us. We are calling in particular for:
“Stopping badger cull licences with immediate effect – which could save tens of thousands of badgers
“A cattle vaccination should be implemented – it is the best long-term solution to tackle Bovine tuberculosis
“Government backing fast tracking the transition from badger culling to TB vaccination.
“The consultation ends on March 24 meaning people only have days to respond the Government’s plan and help us stop even more killing.”
To share your views visit: Visit www.wildlifetrusts.org/stand-up-for-badgers
