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Badgers Remain in the Crosshairs
A thread
http://wmpuk.home.blog/2021/04/26/badgers-remain-in-the-crosshairs/
A thread
http://wmpuk.home.blog/2021/04/26/badgers-remain-in-the-crosshairs/
A recent peer reviewed paper published in Bird Study looked at predation of ground nesting birds by badgers. It was undertaken by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and Natural England (NE).
It covered areas included in the English Badger cull in the South West of the country and ran over a number of years.
The conclusions of the paper, which is available ( https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00063657.2021.1889460)here ( https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00063657.2021.1889460) were simple "Analyses of survey data reveal no clear effects of the removal of European Badger Meles meles, a top predator in Great Britain, on bird populations."
In the same week the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) announced on their blog "a worrying development" at Auchnerran, their demonstration farm. They say "The last few days has seen a worrying development at Auchnerran.
We have been monitoring badger numbers on the farm over the years and noticed a steady increase in their abundance and have recorded the occasional raid on a wader nest. But over the last week or so we have lost approx.
two-thirds of our early lapwing nests (around 20) to badger predation – some of which we have been able to capture on camera (the remainder we can usually infer from the remains at the nest site)." A full report is available here ( https://www.gwct.org.uk/blogs/news/2021/april/badger-predation-at-gwsdf-auchnerran/?utm_source=All+Contacts&utm_campaign=ce97d208d3-Non-Mem-NL-200421&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_dd843c5cb6-ce97d208d3-23150335&mc_cid=ce97d208d3&mc_eid=022b2d5dfc).
Strangely GWCT make no mention whatsoever of the BTO/NE peer reviewed report.
We feel that it is important that a peer reviewed paper reporting a study carried out over a number of years gets as least as much coverage as a casual blog post so we are directing our readers to both.
No doubt they will be able to weigh up the evidence and draw the appropriate conclusions.
Once again badgers seem to be in the crosshairs without any peer reviewed scientific basis. A fairly common situation in the UK these days.
Once again badgers seem to be in the crosshairs without any peer reviewed scientific basis. A fairly common situation in the UK these days.
This thread can be read here: http://wmpuk.home.blog/2021/04/26/badgers-remain-in-the-crosshairs/
