Dead Badgers. Dead Foxes. The Lack of Cooperation is NOT Coming From Officials

 

 I just posted this to the three main Bristol groups: Bristol Nature Network, Bristol Naturalists and Bristol and Surrounding Area Wildlife. This is me getting a tad angry.

As it seems some local group (Friends of Eastville Park) has decided to block my post on the serious matter of badger deaths and unidentified blue material found there (in fact all my comments seem to have gone) I have had enough.

So here is what I wrote:

Hello.

If possible, please indulge me, I would like to make certain points as it seems that no one is really that intersted in larger carnivores in Bristol. However, they are interested in spreading lies and rumours for their own reasons.

I am a field naturalist and mammalogist of over 40 years and in that time I have never given out anything confidential. From 1977-2015 and my semi retirement I was a UK police forces wildlife consultant and I still very rarely talk about that work.

I have stated repeatedly that the locations of badger setts and fox dens should not be publicly publicised, as I am now, so I am told, also and environmentalist-conservationist if I cannot be trusted with information then who can?

I do not pass info to DEFRA as I strongly disapprove of the badger culls. The work stays with myself and to date I have looked at four Bristol badger deaths and my colleague Zoe Webber has been out today to look at another badger reported dead. So we have recorded FOUR dead badgers as well as unusual substance that the local park group appears to want to remain silent on (even removing my comments on the matter it seems.

The British Fox Study (f. 1976) has aFox Deaths Project that I fought hard to get going and have an official [pathologist carry out post mortems. We are making headway with that and what we are finding out about foxes and how they die, etc.

Since at least the 1990s (when I dropped the study) no one has been keeping track of badgers in the Cityu, where their setts are and checking whether any deaths are natural, RTA or something else.

I have been sounding the warning bell on snaring in and around the City -the fact that an official post mported listed this as cause of death appears to have raised no interest.

I have warned about a number of threats to badgers and foxes and yet I am not to be trusted? Where are all the naturalists specialising in foxes and badgers because I could certyainly do with help -this is an unfunded effort and yet for at least nine months cooperation from naturalist groups and wildlife groups in and around the City has been non existent.

To those who have helped in any way -THANK YOU.

I DO NOT work for DEFRA and am not "scoping pout badger setts" nor am I trying to locate fox dens for some fantasy "extermination plan". Ask DEFRA and aalso Bristol City Council who have been obstructive just how "in their pocket" I am.

My concern is for the welfare of the wildlife -foxes and badgers in particular- and any threats against them. I reject newspaper,TV and radio interviews so as to NOT draw attention to myuself or my work.

I work 18+ hours a day on this and all year round. Therefore if anyone wishes to make any claims please post them on group so that they can be dealt with.

Thank You

But then the Friends of Eastville Park group got in touch about my posts on the dead badgers and unidentified blue substance.

"Friends of Eastville Park:

"Hi . We are waiting on a protocol for reporting from BCC (Bristol City Council -THS). As evidenced on the thread, there is some confusion on the most effective way of having corpses removed. We have agreed with council that a clear policy would work best and once we have it, we will produce a simple poster for the park and feature it at the head of our group page.

Facebook being what it is, messages drop down and get quickly forgotten so this approach will guarantee that it reaches everyone. Once we have it,

I'll invite you to input regarding your request to be contacted and we'll include it on the poster- that way, all the info will be in one place.

Comments from various members were deleted due to them containing guesses dressed up as facts which might alarm people. The thread was also getting quite lengthy and the original subject was getting a bit lost so we restricted comments at that point.

We'll get a simple, definitive message out there- it always works best."

To which I rsponded:

"Hello. As I pointed out I established the protocol re dead carnivores in Bristol and their collection and post mortem examination where possible. BCC has NO protocol other than pick up and incinerate -it will not even after a year clarify to worried allotment owners the situation re rat poison on allotments.

I will be leaving the group as obviously my opinion and experience on this matter is of no interest"

Committees that sit on their asses and wait for Bristol City Council will still be waiting in a year. The UK National Carnivore Advisory/The British Fox Study spent months fighting for dead foxes to be officially examined after death. We are prepared to do the same for badgers -my colleague Zoe Webber was out earlier today checking on another dead badger in an area close to the Park (too decomposed).

So long as people want to sit on their hands let them. Both Zoe and myself will deal with dead foxes and badgers as they are reported and if we come across any unidentified substance I will be sure that it gets examined officially.

Again, to those who HAVE helped in some way, even reporting dead animals -THANK YOU