Surprise surprise badger cull in Wales

[Shrew]

Hi,
visit the PAC (Pembrokeshire against the cull) website and sign the petition if you whant to help. There's not much time left it starts May 1st. See Brian May's wbsite too. Help!

[muldonach]

Originally Posted by Roaring Mouse

The whole thing has been political from the start and unfortunately after millions being spent over the last 37 years they have to justify the expense.

In 1969 International Badger expert Ruth Murray visited Potters Bar, Weighbridge Laboratories. Badgers were being injected with TB. They were having problems getting them infected because the Badgers own immune system responds vigorously against TB.
To the point, she found that the Badger was chosen as a good political scapegoat. Britain was hoping to enter the E.E.C and rulings on Bovine TB were tough. Tests would show greater amounts of TB in the national herd and large E.E.C compensations were looming. An explanation would be needed so something had to be blamed for the TB breakdown, hence the Badger.

Subsequent younger generations now believe the rubbish spouted, repetition of an untruth can make it seem a truth, even though right thinking would ask how come they still have not proved it after more than 30 years. Plenty of time for research to have come to the right conclusion.
Unfortunately no political party is prepared to wear the egg on their face.

Hmmm - one of the reasons commonly advanced against the logic of a badger cull is the ISG finding that "peturbation" of inefficiently culled badgers spread the disease and increased its incidence outwith the culled areas.

This formed one of the keystones in the ISG conclusion that culling badgers had no part to play in BTb control.

It would seem that not all science is in full agreement with Ms Murray

Regards
mac

[Rob_D]

Originally Posted by muldonach

Hmmm - one of the reasons commonly advanced against the logic of a badger cull is the ISG finding that "peturbation" of inefficiently culled badgers spread the disease and increased its incidence outwith the culled areas.

This formed one of the keystones in the ISG conclusion that culling badgers had no part to play in BTb control.

It would seem that not all science is in full agreement with Ms Murray

Regards
mac

It is not perturbation of inefficiently killed infected badgers Mac, it can be due to immigration into the culled areas of previously uninfected badgers from the bordering areas. With no resident clans, the immigrants will take advantage of empty territories/infected setts and then may spread the disease to the border area as they continue to socialise with those clan members outside the cull area. That is, the bordering setts expand into the cull area and spread the BTb into the border area.

So an "efficient" cull would not stop that. Culling-induced social perturbation in Eurasian badgers Meles meles and the management of TB in cattle: an analysis of a critical problem in applied ecology

[GavinWheeler]

If you would like to encourage the Welsh Assembly to reconsider the cull, you have until tomorrow (Monday) to sign the online petition.

[Holly Tree]

Hi, I posted on the Lawful badger cull thread so thought I'd put the same post on here.....

This whole thing really angers me! What's the point in protecting an animal if we can just kill it when it interferes with humans?? Its disgusting, and I know which ecology consultancy is carrying out the badger surveys and location of badger setts for the Welsh Government. No surprises there, is there nothing that can be done??

[vole-woman]

Petition signed.