I think that now, thanks to Badger Watch and other wildlife organisations, the badger population is burgeoning. Many get killed on the road, especially cubs, which helps to keep the numbers in check. Presumably, as with pheasants, they are going to become more "road aware" and fewer will get killed in this way, but for now there seems to be, certainly round here, a good, stable, sustainable badger population. We do not have dairy herds a lot round here, it is mainly arable, sheep on the hills and beef cattle, so badgers are pretty safe. I think there is little doubt that badgers DO spread TB, but so too do birds. Are we going to cull all the birds as well? Culling is just ridiculous because 1) it won't work because it is impossible to kill every single badger 2) you would need also to cull every single bird, and that is even more impossible and 3) it is just morally unacceptable to kill our natural wildlife when we frown upon the tribal peoples of Africa such as the Masai to not kill their Big Game for ivory and other trophies.

Within a few hundred of yards of where I am sitting now typing this post, there are 2 live and very viable badger setts. I check on both of them regularly and they are thriving. A statistician would be able to calculate the rough badger population in this part of Northamptonshire I suspect, but I think it is safe to say that we have a goodly population of these delightful creatures in these parts I am very pleased to say!

A quick google puts the population at 300,000 (estimated), and to compare that to something - foxes are 240,000

Helen

That sounds excellent news ... amazing to think that badgers now outnumber foxes. When I was young they were virtually extinct.

wow 60,000 signatures! thanks again to all who have signed ...they only need another 40,000 more ..so please keep spreading the word.

Petition set up by the wonderful Brian May to help try and stop this senseless cull!! Badgers should be protected not culled! God knows there's enough that die on the roads everyday as it is!!!

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/peti...=NTM4MzM5OTES1

Signed...........

signed..........

most "road kill" badgers if you look over their body have been shot, which i dont agree with personally, if your going to shoot them at least dont dump them in the road