To:
All Badger Trust members and badger groups
“One Release Site” appeal
This will be a tough year for the badger, with the impending cull(s)
looming and the massive propaganda machine that is the NFU providing much
misinformation. This year has seen high levels of badger cubs through the
doors of Secret World Wildlife Rescue, not helped by the long hot dry spells
of weather.
As always our doors are open to all wildlife and the 24/7, 365 days a
year service we provide ensures we are available to anyone, anywhere with a
badger problem. Because we are the countries largest badger rehabilitation
centre, taking in badgers from most regions we are able to form social
groups of cubs taking into account gender, size and where possible parish
bTB status. The down side of this process is that we are faced with the
increasingly difficult (and expensive) task of finding suitable release
sites.
If we are unable to find release sites for badger cubs then quite simply
the service we offer in accepting badger cubs will have to be reviewed.
I am appealing to all badger groups to discuss at their committee
meetings the possibility of making it a goal to locate within their group
area one badger cub release site. This could be used this year or kept in
reserve for future years.
We urgently need sites for this years cubs and it is important that cubs
are released early enough in the season before the winter sets in. As a
reminder all our cubs are triple-tested to make sure they do not have the
bovine TB infection.
We can assist in surveying potential sites and construct artificial setts
if needed, we just need your help in finding the release sites. If you would
like to discuss this appeal then please contact myself or Andy Parr
(Wildlife Release Officer). Alternatively if you feel it would be of benefit
then Andy Parr would be able to discuss this matter at any of your committee
meetings.
Thank You
Pauline Kidner
Secret World Wildlife Rescue
