Badger News Roundup!

We've certainly got a love-hate relationship with these critters.  On the one hand, being badger dogs, all our instincts tell us to "go get it!" - we're slightly salivating as we type these words and drooling over the thought of bagging our very own badger.  On the other hand though, we're not sure if we've ever seen anything so cute as an 8-week-old badger missing an ear, lovingly named 'Vincent' after Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, who famously cut off one of his ears   That's right, it's a Badger News Roundup for a beautiful Spring day, Wednesday, April 28, 2010.  Kicking things off, this little fella is being looked after by staff at St Tiggywinkles (huh?) Wildlife Hospital in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, England, after being attacked. Excerpt from This Is Local London:

Les Stocker from the hospital said: “He's doing fine. There's a little bit of damage to the bit round his ear but he should be OK.

“It might have been a fox or a dog that came across him and attacked him. I think another badger would have killed him.”

Vincent will be released back into the wild later this year.

Meanwhile, these often pesky little digging machines have been busy desecrating 100-year-old graves at a cemetery in Sidmouth, Devon, England, unearthing the human remains.  Excerpt from The Daily Mail:

A Natural England representative and Department of Environment badger expert lan Crowe visited Sidmouth Cemetery and will make recommendations about how the badgers should be managed 'in a sensitive, humane and legal way'.
A council spokesman said: 'There is absolutely no question of any harm being done to the animals and it is illegal to interfere with a badger sett during the breeding season.'
The council will erect a sign near the newly dug sett, informing the public of the presence of badgers and explaining they have caused some disturbance.
'In July, after obtaining expert advice, we may be able to fit one-way doors at the entrances to the badger tunnels.
'This will mean the animals can leave their sett but cannot get back in.'

Read more and see more photos at The Daily Mail.

And finally, thousands of badgers will lose their lives in a cull planned in south west Wales over the next few months.  Animal activists, including Queen guitarist Brian May, are up in arms over the cull, which would cover over 100 square miles, and is aimed at combating bovine TB.  Excerpt from BBC News:

The assembly government has said compensating farmers cost the taxpayer nearly £24m last year and cattle and badgers were the main sources of the disease.
Reacting to Friday's (April 16th) ruling Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones said: "We welcome the court's decision.
"Bovine TB is one of the biggest problems facing cattle farmers across Wales, and we have to tackle all sources of the disease.
"We are dealing with an epidemic that has serious consequences for us all and we must stamp it out.

Read more about the troubling cull at BBC News.