I have been guarding my badgers and feeding them every night since I discovered them in my garden. I'm currently also charting the times and whether one or two show up together.
It was a pretty miserable wet night a couple of nights ago but one of the badgers appeared all wet and soggy. I'd have guessed Rosie but I have had trouble telling them apart. She wolfed the food down and was suddenly joined by the other badger, I thought Charlie. However, as I studied them I thought they looked the same size but males are meant to be larger. I was a bit mystified until something moved in the garden and there was badger number three!
When this badger came over after the other 2 had wandered into the garden it was obvious this was infact Charlie as he was definitely bigger.
So the tricky little critters have been alternating and coming in one by one or 2 at a time to confuse me! I have yet to capture all three together on film. However, I have caught several videos of the ones I thought were Charlie & Rosie but may have in fact sometimes been 2 girls! The word has obviously been spread that food is available and they're all coming to visit which is fantastic!
As I'm now pretty sure there's at least 2 girls and a boy so my fingers are again firmly crossed for the appearance of baby badgers next year!
Here's 2 having a lovely feed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RxPrgJTGoQ
I haven't posted for a while as I have been busy signing petitions and donating to causes.....why??? Because in the UK badgers - previously (quite rightly) a protected species are being culled.
The reason? They are accused of spreading bovine TB. There have been dozens and dozens of reports saying this is not the way to tackle the problem and even now into the cull (which was a miserable failure, with thankfully nowhere near the number of badgers killed as they were aiming for!) expert scientists are coming out to say it's definitely not the way to go - innoculation of the badgers or better still the cattle is the actual answer!
Sadly (and I have never openly criticised any government before) the government and it's ministers will not listen to scientific fact or the will of the people that elected them and call a halt to the madness. Owen Paterson the Environment Secretary has proved himself to be totally incompetent and said the failure of the cull was down to the badgers 'moving the goalposts' - really!??? The media had a field day with that comment and are now calling for him to resign - rightly so!
If this carries on badgers will become another statistic of an endangered species. What on earth goes on in the heads of these people?
As they wouldn't listen to the people, the people have been out showing support for the badgers by looking for injured ones and treating them or better still guarding badger setts and refusing to let anyone near them. These men & women are truly magnificent and deserve medals for working in all weathers.
I don't live in an area affected by the cull (so far!) so have tried to do my little bit by sending money to the groups that are helping and although it's only a drop in the ocean I do hope it helps. I had a lottery win of £100 and thought that it was meant to go to greater good so that got also donated to these lovely people.
Another hero of the hour turned out to be Queen guitarist, Brian May. He set up 'Team Badger' (https://www.facebook.com/TeamBadgerCoalition) and has been tirelessly condemning the cull and calling for people to support the people against it.
I can't believe we are meant to be a nation of animal lovers and we can shoot these beautiful creatures for no good reason, it's disgraceful. Once nature is destroyed you can't put it back.
http://www.smallholder.co.uk/news/10751867.Natural_England_scientist_says_badger_culls_should_be_scrapped_immediately/
http://focusingonwildlife.com/news/culls-risk-illegally-exterminating-badgers-animal-expert-warns/
Charlie and Rosie (the 2 regular badger visitors) are still showing up regular as clockwork every evening.
I always put out peanuts, that are wolfed up in minutes, and trying all sorts of other foods. The badger conservation people said they'd eat pretty much anything - unless it was spicy!
So far peanut butter on bread is ok, nectarines and peaches are popular, spinach, carrot and chicken cat food (expensive variety) are not eaten at all. I had a bit of cake left which was also gulped down, but weirdly meringue was eaten above all other food. It has to be an occasional treat though as, like humans, I'm sure they shouldn't eat it too often.
This is Charlie having dinner - and Sophie watching him, she's still fascinated by the badgers!
Charlie having dinner. Click here.
