This young badger boar was found dead in rabbit snare by a lady walking her dog in a local farmer’s field… On my arrival I met up with a very upset and distressed lady who showed me the snared badger. The Police Wildlife Crimes Officer (PWCO) was immediately informed. A number of photographs were taken. The badger was removed from the fence by cutting the attached string securing the snare to the fence.
Checks carried out along the entire rabbit fence revealed, two separate pieces of a plastic carrier bag, tied to the top of the fence… these turned out to be markers, indicating where two other snares were placed! All three legal brass rabbit snares had been positioned within a badger path `Illegal`.
I know the local farmer and family very well, he allows me on his land to check on badger setts. He asked me a few days earlier, to make some badger gates as he was having serious problems with rabbits that were getting through this particular rabbit fence via the large holes made by the badgers. See photo’s Badger gates.
On the snares removal from the badger’s neck, it was noticed the badger had stepped into the loop right up to it’s shoulder joint, followed by the head, and became tangled. What followed, resulted in shear panic and agonising death in its impossible attempt to get free!
The local town council had contracted out, the installation of this rabbit fence. I Informed the Town Clerk, that the installers of the fence, had not taken into account the regular and frequent use of badger paths, and as, consequences, the badgers had Torn through the fence that had blocked their natural route to forage. The latter led Once again, to free access for the rabbits, to continue to destroy the farmers crop.
I also mentioned that these rabbit snares, had been used by person unknown, and resulted in this agonising death of this year’s young badger and that the incident had been reported to PWCO .It was also stated, although all three of these legal rabbit Snares used (The setting of these snares, within a badgers path, was illegally done). Investigations on-going.
We may never know, if the person who set up these snares for rabbits, knew of these badger paths, if that person was aware, then it was illegally carried out!! (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Schedule 6) I cannot believe, this person could not tell the difference between a rabbit and a badger path, and that he had not checked his snares daily, as required! See Defra for their Code of Practice www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/pdf/wildlife-manage/snares-cop.pdf
Snares are indiscriminate and capture non target animals. Your pet cat/dog could be next! You can help Ban All Snares: Join: National anti-snaring campaign, visit: http://www.antisnaring.org.uk/ (Please be warned, the images are of a very graphic nature I make no appologies for directing you there. It will open your eyes to the cruelty that snares do to animals.)
Field Officer
Uttlesford Badger Group
