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Hi <<First Name>>
March is proving to be a very busy month. As the snow melts and badgers become a lot more active, this is an ideal time of year to get involved in sett surveying.
And if the Government has its way, we will need to do a lot more of it. You may have seen that Defra has launched two consultations setting out its intention to roll out badger culls to low-risk areas and remove the cap on the number of new areas that can cull in any year.
Many groups will work together to produce guidance so that individuals can respond to these consultations. The aim is to issue the guidance shortly to give people plenty of time to respond by the deadline of 15 April.
The Government is also considering expressions of interest, to begin badger culling in the historic county of Avon, Berkshire, Derbyshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire. Here in the South West, that means potential roll out to Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
Guidance on completing that consultation has already been sent out.
Every year we face an ever increasing culling area. But this is more than matched by the ever increasing number of people wanting to get involved to help save badgers, and our ever increasing determination to continue to stand up for badgers, conservation and science! It is hugely rewarding work so if you've not been out yet, do get in touch with your local group.
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Badger cull faces review as bovine TB goes on rising
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And so the saga continues!
You may recall that last month the Government announced it would hold a review into its bTB strategy, but that the review would not consider the badger culling issue.
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Well, the Government has backtracked and will now, according to a Defra spokesperson, review the badger cull. However, since the Terms of Reference specifically state "it is not a review of badger culling", what will and will not be included has become very confused
During the early years of the badger cull, we were repeatedly told that 28 thousand cattle per year were being destroyed because of bTB. Despite the cull being rolled out to huge swathes of the 'high-risk area', and over 34 thousand badgers being killed, bTB continues to rise, with 42 thousand cattle now falling victim to the disease per year. Read the full article.
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Badger Action Network's information video #1
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First, thanks to everyone who took part in Badger Action Network's (BAN) short survey, designed to find out what prevents people from getting involved with sett surveying. For many people, the answer was simply that they didn't know how to.
In response to that, BAN has created a series of short videos. The first video in the series entitled 'SIGNS', will help you identify badger runs. If you're new to sett surveying, why not have a look out for badger runs on your next walk? And if you'd like to get more involved, your local group can help to train you.
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Potential badger cull roll out to up to eight new areas in 2018
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The Government has announced that it has expressions of interest from eight new areas to cull badgers this year.
These new areas are Avon, Berkshire, Derbyshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire.
Although Avon is no longer a county, the name is occasionally used to describe the area that is now Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
This means here in the South West, we are potentially facing an even larger culling area this autumn.
If you live in any of these areas and want to get involved, contact your local group. The 2018 cull will likely start within the next six months, and our badgers need all the friends they can get.
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Happy Mother's Day Mrs Badger! - video
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Many of you, we know, are following the progress of Mrs Badger and her now five week old cub, who are being cared for by Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital.
Mrs Badger continues to have some unsettled moments, but her young son is apparently like a 'little bulldozer' when he wants his mum's attention!
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Click the image above to see the latest on the stripy pair.
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Petition - No badger cull on Clinton Devon Estate land
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Here's something quick and easy that we can all do. This petition calls on Clinton Devon Estate to say 'no' to badger culling on its land. Click the logo below to sign.
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New sub group for Devon - West Devon
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With the cull now covering most of Devon, DCABC has created several sub groups to help organise the immense task of protecting badgers in Devon.
A sub group for West Devon is the latest to set up, joining those already running in North, South and Mid Devon.
You can contact West Devon through it's Facebook page.
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If you subscribe to this mailing list and are West Devon based, you can update your subscription preferences here.
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Badger Action Network's information video #2
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BAN's second video in the series SIGNS, covers poo and prints!
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Badger Sundays will be up and running again in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, starting Sunday 25 March.
Two groups of walkers will head off simultaneously into the cull zones of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, to familiarise themselves with the local areas and looking out for field signs.
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There will be time for a picnic lunch somewhere along the way, with plenty of opportunity to find out how Wounded Badger Patrols operate and how you can help protect badgers during the cull.
You will need to email info@glosagainstbadgershooting.org if you'd like to take part. Visit the Facebook page for full details.
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Experienced people from Somerset Against The Badger Cull have been carrying out sett surveying on a regular basis for many months since the last cull ended, but still need more people to get involved, particularly with the likely roll out to Avon.
If you've never surveyed before but would like to do so, please contact us via email and we'll try to sort out a meet-up according to your availability. You don't need experience, just enthusiasm!
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With so much about the badger cull in the news at the moment, this section contains links to relevant press and online articles.
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If you're new to this newsletter you can always catch up with past editions here.
This page is updated monthly. If you've received this newsletter from a friend you can also use the same page to subscribe to your relevant area's mailing list as well.
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Social media and contact links
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With an ever-growing list of groups and sub-groups, you can find details for groups throughout our region and beyond on Somerset Against The Badger Cull's website. We'll try to keep this list as up to date as possible. Click here to visit.
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Groups and sites we like!
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Subscribe to the mailing list
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If you've received this newsletter from a friend or found it online, and would like to receive your own monthly copy and important updates from Somerset Against The Badger Cull, Devon and Cornwall Against The Badger Cull, Wiltshire Against The Badger Cull or Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting (and sub-groups), just click here to subscribe and we'll add you to the mailing list.
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