Wildlife Road Deaths and Wildlife Over/Underpasses To Save Endangered Species:Green Party Says "NO"

 I prefer not to involve politics on this blog but we are in a deep wildlife crisis and it cannot be ignored.

 Today, 28th June the 'Green Party' finally decided to fob me off with a 'response':

Is there an election this year?

I finally got a reply from the Deputy Leader of the Green City Council and it is just insulting. They have literally run through my email and picked out points I made and pretended that there are plans to deal with them:

"Hello Terry,

"My apologies for the delay in responding. It’s been a very busy month!

"Thank you for raising these concerns, as a Green and an animal lover I share your concerns.

"I’ve been chasing a response from officers for a few weeks – and this is what they’ve provided so far.

“The Nature Conservation Officer is looking in to the feasibility of an otter crossing at Hartcliffe Way.

"Highway Team are considering putting "wildlife crossing" signs in the area. Although, currently there is no budget for these signs.”

"I will keep these issues in my mind,"

Kind regards,

Heather

Heather Mack

Councillor for Lockleaze and Deputy Leader of Bristol City Council
cllr.heather.mack@bristol.gov.uk
07584 202666

I know for a fact that Highways are not looking at an otter wildlife path on Hartcliffe Way and I also know for a fact that they are not looking at "Wildlife Crossing" signs...because Highways told me they were nice ideas but not being looked at as there was no budget and any under/overpass for wildlife would disrupt traffic.

Then, the big "piss off"is adding to "its being looked at" that "there is no budget for this"

Take a look at this from The Bristol Budget Report 2024-2025:

In addressing these challenges, the MTFP sets out our guiding financial principles and good practice arrangements for; delivering sustainable services, to be resilient to future uncertainty, deliver best value and a balanced budget in the medium term. Overall, this report recommends a 2024/25 general fund net expenditure budget of £530.1 million, (a net increase of £46.5 million from the 2023/24 budget) and incorporates targeted revenue investment in priority areas of £55.8 million in 2024/25 to mitigate ongoing and unavoidable pressures.

You can see that they are literally scraping pennies together 

It is just a Green Party "Who cares?" response and shows they are just as bad as Labour were.

Motorists and development are THE top priorities. Wildlife can be scraped up or left where it was killed.  "I will keep these issues in my mind"...until the tea and biscuits are dished out.

I do not give any leeway to these people any more. After decades of wildlife work the one thing that I have learnt is that politicians ('animal lovers' or not) will never give a damn about wildlife because there are not that many votes in it but there is a lot of money in development on green space sites and wildlife tends to hold up those projects (and money).

That the Green Party is taking Labours old stance is not surprising. They are as damned by their lack of action as Labour were and contributing to habitat destruction as well as sitting idly by as endangered species are literally run over by cars on a daily basis.

***************************************************************

Well, it seems that I was right. Following the council election win by the Green Party at the start of May all of its councillors have gone back to being invisible and uncontactable.

Having given up I sent this email to the Green Party Head and Deputy Head of Bristol City Council:

"I have now tried getting in touch with your Green Party over local wildlife and environment issues since the 8^th May. Absolutely no responses.

A large group of people concerned with these issues changed from a Labour vote to help elect a Green run council under the foolish assumption you actually cared about these issues. After much discussion I can inform you that we have collectively decided to not vote Green Party in any future or national elections.

I cannot express just how disappointed I am in the Green Bristol City Council.

Terry Hooper"

I find that with wildlife death mounting up all over the area leaves me far less happy with very slow or no responses from those in authority.

The following was sent to Councillor Carla Denyer head of the Green party which is now in cntrol of Bristol City Council. Attached were copies of the 2023 and 2024 Fox and VBadger Death Registers:

Hello.

I submitted this to the former Mayor on three occasions but only just before the council elections did he respond to say "nothing we can do". My family going back to my grandparents voted Labour all of their lives as have I but along with a lot of other voters who were concerned about Labour's relentless disregard for the environment and wildlife issues decided that a Green vote would be the only choice. We are all hoping, whether people campaigning to save the Western Slopes or other green areas, or involved in wildlife work that the Green Party will step up and meet the challenges and stand with the people of Bristol to make the City a true example of environment and habitat protection.

For your convenience please find attached the Bristol Fox Deaths Register for 2023 as well as the Badger Deaths Register for 2023 maintained by the British Fox and Canid Study (f 1976) and the Bristol Badger Group (f 1994). In summary, for 2023 (and only animals given a location that could be found) some -I should point out that the total number of fox deaths listed herein are not all that died in 2023.

The total number of foxes killed on Bristol roads in 2023 was 257 and these include cubs, pregnant vixens and dog foxes.

The total known number of badgers killed in Bristol for 2023 was 53.

Our work now includes recording deaths of otters which totalled around 6 for 2023.

We do not keep a record of deer and other mammals/birds killed on Bristol roads but the number is high.

We know that for 2024 the total fox deaths up to 7th May stand at 83 and one of these was a heavily pregnant vixen. We have also just recorded the first otter death of 2024 at Lawrence Weston. Badger deaths up to 7th May stands at 36 and these include lactating sows meaning that cubs likely also died. Again, I will attach copies for your convenience.

One black spot for wild life deaths is the Hick's Gate stretch of road -deer, badgers, foxes etc. Saturday 27th January saw four fox deaths on this stretch of road.

For otter deaths we know that the major black spot is the Hartcliffe Way which sees the highest death rate. Looking through the registers you will note that certain areas always crop up and Downend is a particular black spot for foxes and badgers.

I am aware that it will cost, financially, but I would like Bristol City Council to consider the possibility of wildlife underpasses being installed in the main hot spots -Hick's Gate and Hartcliffe Way as the rate of wildlife death on these stretches is so high and otters and badgers are protected species. Perhaps "Wildlife Crossing" signs to alert drivers might also help.

We are currently looking at environmental crises and concentrating on wildlife areas but we are not looking at the animals themselves and how the impact of their deaths are affecting the environment -foxes as hunters are not wholly carnivorous but will catch and eat large numbers of rats and mice and in some cities around the world they are seen as far more effective than rodenticides(as are feral cats). If the numbers of foxes and badgers continue to drop then we will be seeing them, in the City, as rare and they took a long time to recover after 94% died off in the 1994/1995 mange outbreak.

So, please, give the idea of some type of underpass or overpass for wildlife serious consideration as in many parts of the world they have been adopted as essential.

I look forward to your responses when convenient.

Regards

Terry Hooper-Scharf

I have made a couple of attempts of contacting someone at the Green Party but that seems almost impossible by phone. It's far better to give all of the facts in writing and documents for a decision to be made.

Sadly, many of us who decided the mess of a Labour council had to go and so we switched our vote to the Greens. People have tried to raise several issues with the Greens but all note a very obvious absence of any representatives. I will not post the pithy comments made. As a second email seemed in order I again emailed Cllr Denyer attaching the first message:

"Hello. As I have not had a preliminary response to the email of 8th May I wondered whether there was someone appointed at the council who can handle the matters raised? Since writing the number of fox deaths in Bristol has risen to 100 and badger deaths stand at 37. This excludes deer and other animals (such as deer) killed in and around Bristol roads. At6 the very minimum some consideration should be given to "Warning Wildlife Crossing" notices on the main wildlife death spots. Some serious consideration needs to be given wildlife crossings whether over or under roads as at the current rate we are losing wildlife at an alarming rate and I would consider a new Green controlled council far better suited to handling this issue than the previous Labour controlled council."

Having at one time been a big supporter of the Green Party in Germany, perhaps I am expecting too much from a British Green Party? People are not even reporting deer they hit with their cars and we seriously need to take some action because wildlife killed by cars is getting out of hand.