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| Tuesday, May 15, 2007 |
| In Praise of Badgers..... |
From The Guardian:
"The most ancient Briton of English beasts," wrote the poet Edward Thomas of the badger, a justified verdict on a black-and-white creature that has always added colour to the nation's life. The appearance of one sett in the Domesday Book merely marks the start of the current chapter in a tale stretching back a quarter of a million years. Despite their elusive nature, their inquisitive face is still one of the most recognisable symbols of British wildlife. And the 250,000 living in this country also represent a rare ecological success - the population has held its own far better than in most of continental Europe.
Decades after badger-baiting was driven underground, the brock has not seen off all enemies, however. Dairy farmers believe the creatures infect their herds with TB and are pushing for a cull. Ministers flinch at making a martyr of a lovable icon; they have played for time by commissioning a study that will be finished this summer. Devotees at the Badger Trust are not waiting to put their case across. After burrowing through the evidence, they yesterday produced a report drawing on the best scientific journals. It points out that the Irish policy of laying 6,000 snares each night has decimated badger numbers, but not reduced a bovine TB problem twice the scale of Britain's. Infection can pass from badger to cattle but, it seems, that is much less important than transmission between the cows themselves. The debate is not over, but prospects are brightening for badgers.Labels: badgers |
posted by korova @ 10:14 pm  |
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