Hedgehog Sanctuary

[former farmer]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31913453

Interesting take on the fall of hedgehog numbers?

The connection between the huge rise in badger numbers and the marked fall in the hedgehog population, in the relevant time span, is somehow overlooked!

 

[roscoe erf]

That's because badgers do not effect their surroundings or their neighbours they are cuddly sweet creatures who do no harm and should be better protected from those diseased cows littering up the countryside








Omg I've been bittern by Brian may I've gone over to the dark side

 

[Cranman]

I have posted this previously, however it provides the science re badgers and hedgehogs and also highlights the spin and deceit employed by "wildlife charities" to evade the issue:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=247919

 

[llamedos]

Personally I dont think there is a 'one size fits all' reason for the decline in Hogs, round here it is mainly down the ammount being destined to spend their life in a rabbit hutch in a 'sanctuary'

Phone call to a local sanctuary to offer some hogs a home in a suatable location:-
Hi, I see you were in the local papers again recently, saying you were full to busting, and needed to raise funds for the Hogs.
Yes, this is correct.
Well I would like to be able to offer to re home some of the ones who are fit to be released.
Oh, right, we really we were asking for monetary dontations to be able to feed them.
Well, I am sure if some who were fit and well would be better of in an area of countryside lacking in predators.Enabling you to use donations to treat ones who were not.
Oh, right, well what is the postcode(noted change in tone of voice)
ADCDEF
Immediate reply- Oh I am sorry we could never have hogs released there.
Why?
It is too high.
Sorry, too high?
Yes, to high in altitude.

Goodbye

This same place goes to schools taking cute hogs to show the kids, and tells them how there are non on local farms due to all the pesticides in the farmers fields............. you would do well to find a 'crop' within a 50 mile radius.
The bliddy sheep must be killers.

 

[Clive Tee]

We offered to take hedgehogs from the trust and give them a home. We haven't seen one for years. But they refused to let us have any because we have badgers.

 

[BELOWAVERAGE]

We offered to take hedgehogs from the trust and give them a home. We haven't seen one for years. But they refused to let us have any because we have badgers.

Exactly the same thing happened here last week, wife and kids went to a hedgehog sanctuary in Stafford and offered to rehome some, first thing they asked, did we have badgers, when son said we're over run with them, they refused the offer, saying badgers are the only thing that will kill a healthy hedgehog.

 

[Pasty]

Any correlation with the invention of hedgehog flavoured crisps?

 

[Danllan]

Yet again good intentions have adverse consequences that weren't foreseen... I have no problem with that, I doubt if there is anyone on here who has not has a 'great' idea that turned out to be at least partly crap, me included.

What really p*sses me off is when they won't admit the mistake and take action to correct it. One of the first things you learn as a grown up is that you are not always right, what's the big deal in this?

 

[Welsh Farmer]

These are some of the very reasons why I don't turn any of our non- hibernating hedgehogs over to the local sanctuaries ..... I'm pretty sure they wouldn't return them back to us. At the moment I've got five hedgehogs still on B&B with me all snoozing nicely. Any that are still coming in to the garden to feed by mid December we pick up, put them in individual large wooden crates with loads of straw to burrow in to and then feed them until they go off to hibernate. They should be waking any time now and then I can release them back in to the garden where they originally came from. I saw my first hedgehog of this year in the garden only last night so he's getting the cat food and meal worm treatment left out for him now just to help him along a bit I love seeing the hedgehogs about.

 

[Pasty]

It's a very difficult one. Say they removed protection on badgers, what would most farmers do? You have cattle and you have a set on your land. Are you going to manage their numbers or are your going to wipe them out? What if everyone wipes out every set on every farm in the UK? Then we have got another problem and people will be calling for protection again.

If protection were removed, how could badgers be effectively controlled without going too far?

 

[neilo]

It's a very difficult one. Say they removed protection on badgers, what would most farmers do? You have cattle and you have a set on your land. Are you going to manage their numbers or are your going to wipe them out? What if everyone wipes out every set on every farm in the UK? Then we have got another problem and people will be calling for protection again.

If protection were removed, how could badgers be effectively controlled without going too far?

Have you been reading the badger huggers' websites? You'd find very few farmers in the land that want anything wiped out, most like the countryside and are in tune with it. Everything is good in balance, it's maintaining that balance that is important. For ever and a day, mankind has managed populations. Badgers weren't made extinct before they were afforded legal protection, why should it be any different now?

What most of the do gooders seem to ignore. Is the fact that folk that have lived in, & work, the countryside, are those that have moulded it into the beautiful place they like to enjoy.

 

[Pasty]

Not

Have you been reading the badger huggers' websites? You'd find very few farmers in the land that want anything wiped out, most like the countryside and are in tune with it. Everything is good in balance, it's maintaining that balance that is important. For ever and a day, mankind has managed populations. Badgers weren't made extinct before they were afforded legal protection, why should it be any different now?

What most of the do gooders seem to ignore. Is the fact that folk that have lived in, & work, the countryside, are those that have moulded it into the beautiful place they like to enjoy.

Not at all. I'm all for control of any species so we can all get along. I don't remember when the protection came in but I do see a lot of archive footage of gassing etc.

I'm not for one minute saying that all farmers will wipe out all badgers. Some will do that. Others will knit them bulletproof jumpers. How do all the rest in the middle know where the balance is? That was really the question. The one thing that puts me off getting a few cows on my little farm is TB as we have sets and field latrines and are in Devon. I know there is nothing I can do about the issue even if I wanted to. So, assuming I was able to control badgers to protect my cattle, how do I know how to go about this?

 

[haulmblower]

It's a very difficult one. Say they removed protection on badgers, what would most farmers do? You have cattle and you have a set on your land. Are you going to manage their numbers or are your going to wipe them out? What if everyone wipes out every set on every farm in the UK? Then we have got another problem and people will be calling for protection again.

If protection were removed, how could badgers be effectively controlled without going too far?

I almost posted something along these lines earlier. I couldn't word it well enough though.
I'm not a badger hugger, I can see the headlines if protection was lifted without some sort of control.
It probably wouldn't be farmers shooting them. They would get the blame though.
There have been several posts about shady characters lamping and the like on your land.
Some people don't understand nature's balance and are just out to kill things.
My suggestion would be clean up the infected areas first. Then a limited season over the rest of the Country.
Just my thoughts

 

[neilo]

Not

Not at all. I'm all for control of any species so we can all get along. I don't remember when the protection came in but I do see a lot of archive footage of gassing etc.

I'm not for one minute saying that all farmers will wipe out all badgers. Some will do that. Others will knit them bulletproof jumpers. How do all the rest in the middle know where the balance is? That was really the question. The one thing that puts me off getting a few cows on my little farm is TB as we have sets and field latrines and are in Devon. I know there is nothing I can do about the issue even if I wanted to. So, assuming I was able to control badgers to protect my cattle, how do I know how to go about this?

I would suggest that nobody would do anything about controlling badgers, unless they were causing a problem, be that an ongoing TB problem, lambs being taken or acres of maize being felled. Those are all symptomatic of populations that are either diseased or have grown in excess of the food that is naturally available........ out of balance. If the weren't causing any problems, they would be left to get on with it.

 

[Pasty]

I would suggest that nobody would do anything about controlling badgers, unless they were causing a problem, be that an ongoing TB problem, lambs being taken or acres of maize being felled. Those are all symptomatic of populations that are either diseased or have grown in excess of the food that is naturally available........ out of balance. If the weren't causing any problems, they would be left to get on with it.

Ok, so I've got a set on my land. I rarely see them unless I'm lucky at night. I see tracks and the latrine which they cross a river to use. I have no idea how many badgers are in the set. I have cattle and I go down with TB. What action should I take, assuming protection is removed and badgers are fair game?

How do I balance things on my land? Is the conclusion that the set is infected so has to go? Or do I reduce numbers and hope the next TB test is clear?

 

[haulmblower]

Someone must know all about badger breeding cycles.
Instead of keeping females to breed from they could cull, or if that was unpalatable sterilise them, or sterilise the males so they don't breed.

 

[CopperBeech]

Do you know just quite HOW MANY badgers there are? There are so many sets around the country, that even if we wiped all the badgers from every cattle farm in the u.k. . . . . there would still be too many of the bloody things.

Haven't seen a Hedgehog for years, can't remember the last time I went out at night and didn't see brock.

 

[CopperBeech]

The manage it all quite well across Europe, they have healthy badger populations, and also hunt them when they are a problem. And it doesn't even cost the tax payer a cent!

Edited to add - As Haulmblower says, a set season, and a tag system would be the best bet, with numbers monitored and problem animals / over populated areas could be culled.

 

[haulmblower]

People don't want to hear that though.
If you can come up with a solution that doesn't make farmers look like mass murderers you have more of a chance with it.

Edited to say I was replying to this post.

Do you know just quite HOW MANY badgers there are? There are so many sets around the country, that even if we wiped all the badgers from every cattle farm in the u.k. . . . . there would still be too many of the bloody things.

Haven't seen a Hedgehog for years, can't remember the last time I went out at night and didn't see brock.

 

[Pasty]

So what do hedgehog huggers blame the decline on?