Today is National Badger Day ๐ฆก
Badgers are vital ecosystem engineers that support biodiversity and enrich soil health, as well as creating habitats for other wildlife. They should be celebrated not persecuted as they have been for years.
From being slaughtered during the ineffective and unnecessary badger cull to being dragged into the seedy world of fox hunting. Speaking at the League Against Cruel Sports rally on Saturday the 9th of May, Badger Trust CEO Nigel Palmer stated that badgers are "the forgotten victims of hunting."
In an article for the Badger Trust Nigel goes on to say โTerrier men working for hunts, often seen using quad bikes, block badger setts to force foxes into the open rather than allowing them to escape underground. They also send terriers into setts and dig out foxes, which is illegal. If hunts were truly following a scent trail, terrier men would have no role.โ
Every fox hunting season brings with it more cases of badger sett blocking. This is why it is vital that a full ban on hunting with hounds is implemented, as was promised by the current government. A full ban on hunting with hounds would not only stop fox hunting it would also stop badger setts being blocked as a consequence of this.