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Protect the Badger Why Bother? |
By Stephen Jenkinson
Why badger groups? What's so special about "Brock" that he deserves his own club? There are no badger groups in the rest of Europe - so why does Britain need them? Aren't all these badger laws a waste of time?
The defenders of badger digging claim that badger groups are just a result of British sentimentality for one of our oldest mammals. Nothing could be further from the truth. Badger digging and baiting are so barbaric and inhumane that many participants in legal field sports are active and committed supporters of badger groups - being shot would be a relief compared to the intentional and prolonged suffering inflicted by badger baiters.
The Badger in Europe
The Badger has long served as a readily available and useful commodity for the residents of Europe. Practical uses have been for hair, pelts and medicines; badger products were held to cure a range of ailments including asthma, rheumatism and even impotence if you were prepared to eat its cooked genitals! Less radical usage continues even to this day in some Eastern European countries where badger flesh and fat are used for meat and lard. Despite its uses, the badger has suffered some persecution in all countries. However, after studying badgers all over the world, Charles Long and Carl Killingley concluded, "Other countries do not appear to have such a long standing record of relentless persecution, involving cruelty in various forms, as does Great Britain".
Britains Living Legacy
You need look no further for proof of this barbaric tradition than an English dictionary:
Verb: badger Definition: to make a badger of, bait like a badger, hence to subject (one who cannot escape from) to persistent worry or persecution. [Oxford English Dictionary].
The badger has a place in our language for one simple reason - its courage and strength when cornered by man and his dogs. Today, an estimated 9,000 badgers are killed each year by persecution; whilst some gassing and poisoning does occur, badger digging and baiting remain the most frequent and brutal form of persecution.
So what happens at a badger dig? The diggers arrive with terriers, spade ,metal bars and sometimes even a sack to carry the victim(s) away. Terriers are entered in the sett - the badger is located and the men dig down to expose the animal and let the "fun" of watching the fight begin. A fit badger can easily get the better of many dogs using its powerful jaws and so for many centuries attempts have been made to even up the fight. The badgers jaws may be broken with a blow from a spade; it may be wounded (not killed) with shotgun pellets or its vulnerable internal organs may be stabbed with a knife. If the badger does not eventually die at the sett, it may be taken away for baiting.
Nearly 150 years of protective legislation
The law is perhaps the most convincing endorsement of cruelty involved in badger baiting. The first law against baiting badgers was passed in 1850 - nearly 150 years ago! The badger, in theory, gained further protection through the 1911 Protection of Animals Act and the Cruelty to Animals Act 1935. The 1973 Badgers Act outlawed the killing and taking of badgers by unauthorised persons and the use of badger tongs and low powered ammunition. Then , as now, badger digging was far more prevalent in northern England, particularly so in South and West Yorkshire. Despite hopes for the 1973 Act The Mammal Society records of West Yorkshire showed that over 62% of setts used by badgers in 1973 had fallen into disuse by 1977. West Yorkshire was designated as the first special Protection Area under the 1973 Act. This prohibited even farmers from killing badgers, except where damage or a risk of spreading disease could be shown. Before then, landowners could legally kill a badger without needing a specific reason. In 1981, the Wildlife and Countryside Act extended this protection throughout the country. However, when caught, many badger diggers would claim they were only after foxes - the authorities found it difficult to prove illegal intent toward a badger beyond the reasonable doubt and court cases often failed. Consequently, a section in the Wildlife and Countryside (Amendment) Act 1985 attempted to address this problem; unusually for English Law, the burden of proof was placed on diggers to show that they were not acting against the Law, rather than the usual case where the prosecution has to endure the burden of proof. Even so, convictions remained a difficult matter. Even when diggers were found guilty, the penalties imposed appear far from severe; the average fine between 1986 and 1991 was £390, compared to a fine of £253 in 1878. Irrespective of statistics, the healthy market for books on badger digging is surely a clear indication of its present-day popularity.
The badgers Act 1991 prohibited disturbance to badger setts, except for authorised loose hole blocking by fox hunts and interference licensed by English Nature or the Ministry of Agriculture Food & Fisheries. At the same time the Badgers (Further Protection Act) 1991 gave the courts powers to remove dogs of diggers. A year later, the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 consolidated all the previous laws into one piece of legislation.
So how do badger groups help?
The toughest laws in the land would be virtually worthless without the support and activities of organisations such as badger groups. Badger groups maintain detailed and accurate sett records; essential to prove that an alleged offence took place at an active badger sett, rather than a disused one. Badger group members provide invaluable assistance by keeping a watchful eye for suspicious activities and immediately alerting police; training and special equipment allow accurate details to be taken. On no account do members confront badger diggers themselves; those involved have no respect for the laws regarding violence towards animals - or Humans.
Re-produced from NFBG Badger News - Volume 1 with acknowledgement to Stephen Jenkinson.
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