I read an item on MSN yesterday about the RSPCA warning people to avoid grey squirrels as they might bite or scratch. The comments on this post then erupted into anti fox and anti badger comments.
People called badgers a nuisance for being in their garden and openly stated that they made as much noise around setts as they could and that over a few days the badgers or foxes moved on. They also stated how they let their children invite over friends to make as much noise in the garden as they could with the intention of driving off badgers and even blocking badger entrances into gardens and free run to their setts.
They are all describing illegal actions interrfering with bnadger and active fox dens with cubs in. Police could easily trace the accounts (I did with two) owners an initiate an investigation. But... too much hard work and even the confession online in a public forum can be dismissed as evidence.
This is the country we live in. NOT a nation of animal lovers, it never was -it is a Victorian/Edwardian chocolate box invention at a time when hunts and pro hunt supporters mocked and even got "physical" with (spat out with bile) "humanitarians". Yes, being a humanitarian was a dirty thing back then.
Badgers shot or snared and dumped by the roadside because everyone knows that drivers will not stop to check "just road-kill".
We have had foxes snared in the area but left by the road and only a post mortem revealed the cause of death. Was anything done to find out who was doing this? No.
We had an otter found dead by the roadside near afishing site. Road-kill? No. It was snared. Wildlife crime so what happened? Nothing.
We had a man set his dog onto a fox in Blaise Castle Park in front of people -good description of dog and owner. Fox torn up and thge post mortem added to eye witness reports. Action taken? None.
Another man set his dog onto a fox cub in Kingswood and killed it; and it was reported to police. Action -none.
Three foxes found one day on a local allotment that is pro rewilding and no poisons are used. Police wildlife officer went to the site and took statements. The foxes were on a compost heap 300 yards away and the allotment holders assumed the officer would take them for examination in case of wildlife crime. He would not even go and look at the foxes. He told everyone that he had "gathered intelligence" and that was it. Blind eye of the police at work and the officer never responded to messages.
It goes on and on and then we have the losses on our streets due to speed bumps having been removed and no signs about wildlife crossing or monitoring of speed of vehicles -deer, squirrels and over 270 foxes and 80+ badgers (known).
Oh, and every night across the country men and women go out to shoot and kill for 'fun' with impunity.
All of this I deal with on a weekly basis "Just foxes" and "sad about the badger, isn't it?" are responses from officials IF they respond at all.
Our fox and badger numbers are hitting all time lows and our hedgehogs are not doing much better. Hedgehogs, badgers and foxes need to be Red Listed and REALLY protected and people going out killing them for 'fun' need to be prosecuted heavily (including the off duty police officers who are in the mix).
When the public are anti wildlife and teach their kids to be anti wildlife you realise that however much you push and fight it is a losing battle.
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