Tuesday 28 January 2014

Badger colonies double, survey finds

Increase in active badger setts in England over 30 years can't be 'reliably linked' to rise in bovine TB, scientists say

The number of active badger setts in England has doubled in the past 30 years, according to a new scientific survey. The increase appears to represent a major success for the protection of one of the public's favourite wild creatures, which has endured centuries of persecution and only gained full protection in 1992. Milder winters that increase cub survival are also thought to be a factor.

"It's very good news and suggests that badger habitat is in good order," said Jack Reedy, at the Badger Trust. "It's quite a relief given all the inroads there have been into the countryside."

Adam Quinney, vice president of the National Farmers Union, which supports controversial badger culls that began in 2013, said: "Farmers have been telling us for a long time that they have been seeing a growth in the number and size of badger setts on their farms and the results of this survey back up what they have said."

No comments:

Post a Comment

You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!

Related Posts with Thumbnails

ShareThis