When The Badger Trust Becomes The Big Bully

 

Apparently the Badger Trust is still pushing for a badger group in Bristol.

I am now taking it that after all the communications Badger Trust is ignoring Bristol Badger Group (f 1994) BECAUSE it is not Bristol Badger TRUST.

I have tried over and over to be pleasant with the Trust which insists it cannot find BBG in an internet search and seem to have the attitude that the work of the last 30+ years is not important because we are not the Badger Trust.

My diplomacy is at an end.

One Image Can Change What Happened

 

Last night I got clear footage of a cat-fox confrontation.

Over the years I have rescued 3-4 different foxes all cornered by different cats. Last night's little skirmish was my fault.

I put dry cat food out for hedgehogs or the odd stray cat. Only a small amount but it helps. I also put out two digestive biscuits and these allow me to see any fox up close and see whether there are any issues -injuries, mange etc.

After the semi feral black cat that lived in the garden and then next door for 11 years died there was an imbalance in the norm. She had kept fox visits to a minimum when she was out and about. Once she passed away more foxes visited/passed through. Then the unneutered tom cat from the house in front took over. The other cats were very casual and only here to hunt rats/mice. The tom cat decided that he was taking over.

Measuring him he is around 3 feet long (with tail) and certainly as big as any fox -when I opened the door to the postie one day he looked to his left and said "That is a very big one" -I checked and it was the tom cat. He now considers the doorstep his when he can be bothered to show up.

Last night the fox tried to get its biscuit but the cat was all hiss and claws and the fox snapped back from a safe distance; it had obviously been involved with a cat before!

After the "confrontation" the cat went about its business and the fox returned later to claim its biscuit.

So why am I not posting the video clips or photos? The answer is quite simple. Any still or the video clips could be used by anti fox people out of context: "Cat fights off attacking fox" or "Fox attacks pet cat". Excellent propaganda.

We are at that time of the year when the anti fox/ pro hunt people start posting about the infamous "ginger and white" pet cat carried off by a fox. That ginger and white one has been carried off more than the black and white cat in the last ten years. It's all to make fox hunting seem like control and the attempts to get fox cubs for hunts go unhindered.

First class video clips and stills would attract a lot of views but I am not interested in views. I am certainly not interested in being the person to supply images to be used to demonise any animal (especially when I know "the cat started it").

But it was my fault because the biscuits SHOULD have been placed away from the cat food. I just completely forgot. One thing I did learn was that a fox is NEVER going to try to attack a cat (even while the cat was hissing the fox was nosing around for food).

Otter Death Due To Snare January 2026

 

 The initial report on 14th January was: "Reported today. First otter death (likely RTA) on the outskirts of Bristol."

It was submitted for a post mortem and it turned out that the otter had been caught in a snare where it likely died before being dumped by the roadside in the mistaken belief that people would ignore it as a road kill.  This is an old trick used by farmers and individuals who kill badgers so that no suspicion falls on them.

All photos (c)2026 Sarah Mills/Bristol Wildlife Rescue

There is active angling going on near to where the otter was found. A report was forwarded to Avon and Somerset Constabulary wildlife crimes office.  A&S Constabulary have ignored messages asking what action is being taken -including any warnings to anglers or the angling club about trapping otters.  

As noted previously, "Protected" species means nothing if the law sits on its ass.

Think Fox....and Badger

 EVERY year without any delay we have the "There's a problem fox under my shed/decking I need to get moved out" at the first fine weather.

MO you cannot remove a fox from an active den especially during cub season until dispersal (June/July when the den is vacated and you can block it AFTER 100% ensuring no foxes or cubs are in it.

There are also the complaints of badgers underneath sheds or greenhouses and decking that "are a nuisance". Well, if you could not be bothered doing something before the badger moved into its new set tough.

You CANNOT by law tamper or attempt to block a badger sett as they are a protected species -whether you are a council tenant, private owner or local authority: badger setts are untouchable.

Hedgehogs in the UK ARE a Protected Species

 

 To be very clear: hedgehogs are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Schedule 6) and the Wild Mammals Protection Act 1996, making it illegal to kill, capture, or cruelly treat them. They are also listed as a species of "principal importance" under the NERC Act 2006, requiring conservation efforts.

Also -you can find this on other web pages of wildlife organisations- hedgehogs are officially classified as "Vulnerable to Extinction" on the Red List for British Mammals (2020), following drastic population declines. Studies indicate they have declined by 30-50% in rural areas and 30% in urban areas since 2000.

Which makes me ask what is going on when the British Hedgehog Preservation Society/Hedgehog Street/People's Trust for Endangered Species stated this in an email to someone who was concerned about hedgehogs on a proposed development site:

I have contacted the organisation involved and suggested they update their data.

Is There A Difference Between a Collie Dog and a Badger (seriously)

 It does not help if you are involved in wildlife work or rescue and people try to lead you on wild goose chases. Two people forwarded this to me yesterday evening concerned that it was out in the day and reported as "very agitated". A third person asked whether it was AI as they were far from sure the report was genuine.

Firstly, there are no signs of AI. The scene is lit up by street lights.  

 

I have a large data base of badger photographs and videos (but nowhere near as extensive as the fox archive) and a handy tool to identify images. It took 30 seconds to identify this 'Bristol' image.    

Credit states: ""Badgers are becoming an increasingly common site in Britain's towns and cities, where they both forage and establish their setts. It remains unclear whether badgers actively choose urban areas for their homesteads, or if they fail to move when we build around them. - Credit: Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire & Rutland Badger Group"

That check, confirmed by also using an online image check, saved the person who was going to check from wasting time and fuel and searching around a large area.

I have not included the poster's name in case they really are that daft that they do not know the difference between a collie dog and badger but I suspect a hoax.

In the past I have had calls for "injured fox lying out by the road" which turned out to be a fluffy toy (we know who perpetrated that hoax) and we have even had photos sent of foxes at different locations- more hoaxes using stuffed foxes.

In the time wasted on hoaxes some injured animal could be found and treated or taken to a vet to be put out of pain. The fact that drivers in the City and County drive into foxes, badgers, deer and otters and do not even stop or report what has happened is bad enough but that people in the area think it is funny top waste our time with jokes and hoaxes shows the disregard there is toward wildlife.

It is not a joke.

Bristol Wildlife Rescue