Stop the Badger Cull!

Image Source: Care for the Wild

Tuesday saw the Badger Trust fail at the court of appeal in an attempt to stop the two pilot badger culls in West Gloucestershire and West Somerset.  The Trust say that killing badgers will not make a significant contribution to tackling TB in cattle and claims that it could lead to 40,000 animals being pointlessly killed over the next four years.

The appeal was unanimously rejected by Lord Justice Law, Lord Justice Rimer and Lord Justice Sullivan.

Patricia Hayden, VC of the Badger Trust told The Guardian "We are very disappointed.  We don't know what the next step is, but we will not give up."

The Trust is now deciding whether to take their legal action to the supreme court.

In Wales, a badger vaccination programme is replacing the planned cull which was abandoned following legal challenges and the election of a new political administration.  National Trust in Devon and the Wildlife Trust in Gloucestershire is testing the vaccination programme, this is despite the previous Labour government saying an oral badger vaccine would be ready by 2015 and the coalition cancelling five of the six planned trails and declaring a viable oral vaccine as being "years away".

It was reported in the Guardian on Wednesday that activists are threatening to disrupt the badger cull which is due to start this autumn.  Volunteers are planning to patrol the cull zones and do their utmost to make it impossible for the trial culls to take place.  Other proposals include raves and other music events that will focus attention on the cull thus making it more difficult to carry out.  A national rally against the cull was held in Bristol on Tuesday where animal rights activists turned out in force, animal rights campaigner Brain May (guitarist from Queen) spoke at the rally and said: "I think we are all hoping that David Cameron is looking at the possibility of reorganising and delaying the cull while they look more carefully at vaccination. You could kill all the badgers in Britain and it would not stop the problem of bovine TB in cows." 

The RSPCA, League Against Cruel Sports, Humane Society International/UK, Save Me and a host of local campaign groups have formed #TeamBadger

Please sign this petition and also join the Stop the Cull Facebook Community.  You are also able to quickly e-mail your MP and Tweet David Cameron at the click of a button using!

Brian May and Care for the Wild have set up this e-petition that will just take you a moment to sign please.