Badger killing lamb.

[matthew]

The guff the Badger Trust serves up, is that badgers feed on a diet of earthworms and grubs.
How strange then, that it’s jaws have the largest bite of any mammal. And muscles which attach said jaws to the skull are massive.

Here’s a pic of a badger skull. Strange shape for eating earthworms, aka Mr Mole, ain’t it just?

'Alas poor Yorick.....'

We have mentioned not a few times a 'management' strategy, based on badger's own behaviour as a possible answer to the TB problems this cou...

bovinetb.blogspot.com

 

[David.]

A badger killing lamb would truly be worth breeding up.

 

[Dry Rot]

Predators usually have to learn to take a new prey species. So, from the video, we know there is at least one badger out there who has discovered that a lamb is an easy and fulfilling meal. How long before the 'good news' is passed on to his mates and cubs?

In North America a scientist had the bright idea of distributing pieces of sheep meat laced with Lithium Chloride to stop coyotes from attacking sheep. To those who don't know, Liyhium Chloride is the tasteless and odourless 'antabuse' drug used to convince alcoholics that drink is not just bad for you but leaves you with an enormous hang over. In short, it cures alcoholics of their addiction.

It worked! The coyotes stopped killing sheep! Brilliant! Then, slowly and gradually, the word got around in the coyote community that mutton was good, didn't leave that hangover, and was pretty easy to catch and kill -- but you had to kill a live one. The sheep killing resumed with a vengeance. I wonder how long the penny will drop with badgers, as it has already with the sea eagles?

 

[Bury the Trash]

Its nothing new, any shepherd will be aware of this , or should do if they are experienced enough
and its another reason why, if you are a sheep farmer, even if you don't keep cattle , signing up to the cull and paying your do's if the opportunity is there, is worth doing.

 

[Farmer_Joe]

about 20 odd years ago my brother was woken up in the night by a commotion? he said comming from his chicken shed, when he went out to investigate what all the noise was about, he said it was a badger, yes a badger, not a fox trying to catch, kill one of the hens? Now in the western world? the vast majority of the public are not involved with food, animals farmed for meat production, but are happy to let others have that job? but if a pest, animal, preditor, whever it be animal or human threatens your livelyhood? Its like all these recent introductions such as sea eagles and beavers, sea eagles have soon learnt that an easy meal is to be had from taking lambs, beavers know i dont thing they prey on farm animals, are now starting to effect the land and its drainage were farms animals and food crops are grown, now i never had much of an education but i soon worked all this out?

badgers got my hens some years ago, this one too them 1 at a time.

Ive had a 1 day old lamb this year disappear spent hours driving around looking for it in all other fields walked streams etc god knows where that went?

anyone know if they take em away to eat? when they took my hens they ate them about 20 yard from hutch.

 

[Kidds]

Do you mind if I steal that video to post on social media? I think if I post the link to here it might cause an influx of strokers.

I don't mind, that is where I stole it from.

 

[BrianV]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=527811398985997

Sweet apples stuffed with paracetamol cures very many problems (or so I'm told)

 

[farmerm]

No no no according to some of the numpty white settlers around here foxes don't kill lambs either,
They only take dead ones because us farmers don't look after them properly.

I am convinced there are foxes that do and foxes that don't, much like some bad ass cats will take down adult rats whilst others like ours run a mile at the sight of one.

 

[JohnGalway]

I am convinced there are foxes that do and foxes that don't, much like some bad ass cats will take down adult rats whilst others like ours run a mile at the sight of one.

I used to spend a lot of time shooting foxes. Come around to the thinking of don't bother until I have a problem. So, I've shot 3 this year and slept many a night!

 

[unlacedgecko]

I am convinced there are foxes that do and foxes that don't, much like some bad ass cats will take down adult rats whilst others like ours run a mile at the sight of one.

And this is why the best way to deal with a lamb killing fox is a well trained and experienced hound pack. They can scent trail from the site of the crime to ensure the right fox is dealt with.

 

[kiwi pom]

Legal question. If you saw a badger attacking lambs, could you shoot it to protect stock?

 

[unlacedgecko]

Legal question. If you saw a badger attacking lambs, could you shoot it to protect stock?

I don't believe so.

 

[kiwi pom]

Its nothing new, any shepherd will be aware of this , or should do if they are experienced enough
and its another reason why, if you are a sheep farmer, even if you don't keep cattle , signing up to the cull and paying your do's if the opportunity is there, is worth doing.

Totally agree, I know a couple of people involved with a cull and one of their big frustrations is people wont sign up even if they keep stock. I was surprised to hear that it was the wealthier larger farms that didn't want to know.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Totally agree, I know a couple of people involved with a cull and one of their big frustrations is people wont sign up even if they keep stock. I was surprised to hear that it was the wealthier larger farms that didn't want to know.

There are even Beef farmers who wouldnt/wont sign up to it because the way bTB regs /system works suits their buisness ,infact some have a business fattening ,because of it and wouldnt without it.
Not necessarily obviously wrong i guess, even if it might seem to be, its just the way things are .

 

[Dry Rot]

Legal question. If you saw a badger attacking lambs, could you shoot it to protect stock?

I have posed much the same question several times and haven't yet had a reply.

Yet if you perform an act against a person, which might otherwise be illegal, to prevent a crime, the courts MAY take a lenient view -- it all depends on the circumstances. So the question really is are you prepared to risk the consequences and "throw yourself on the mercy of the court" to save a lamb? Speaking for myself, I wouldn't hesitate. As the owner of livestock, I believe my first duty it to look after my stock, not protect vermin intent on it's destruction. But that's just me and I am quite prepared to go to prison for my beliefs.

 

[MRT]

I have posed much the same question several times and haven't yet had a reply.

Yet if you perform an act against a person, which might otherwise be illegal, to prevent a crime, the courts MAY take a lenient view -- it all depends on the circumstances. So the question really is are you prepared to risk the consequences and "throw yourself on the mercy of the court" to save a lamb? Speaking for myself, I wouldn't hesitate. As the owner of livestock, I believe my first duty it to look after my stock, not protect vermin intent on it's destruction. But that's just me and I am quite prepared to go to prison for my beliefs.

Is not acting illegal? As the guardian of the stock? If you sat and watched your animals suffer would you be guilty of a crime?

 

[bluebell]

so , you cant protect, defend, your lively hood? I can see all this having to soon change in the simple fact of, food food? If like what happened during the war, when food became a very big thing? everything, repeat everything was done to produce more, from forcing farmers under threat of losing their farm if they didnt grow, plant what was needed? to protect livestock in any way from death and disease?

 

[kiwi pom]

so , you cant protect, defend, your lively hood? I can see all this having to soon change in the simple fact of, food food? If like what happened during the war, when food became a very big thing? everything, repeat everything was done to produce more, from forcing farmers under threat of losing their farm if they didnt grow, plant what was needed? to protect livestock in any way from death and disease?

You can. Just don't be seen doing it

 

[robs1]

You cant move or interfere with a badger set in a field but can if they are undermining property so I cant see any difference in shooting one killing your stock just as you would a dog killing sheep, might be different if you wiped out the whole sett at one go.

 

[Scholsey]

Legal question. If you saw a badger attacking lambs, could you shoot it to protect stock?

If a tree falls in the wood with no one around, does it make a noise……