The DEFRA Bovine TB Partnership: Shambles or Scandal? "Not so much a partnership as a captive audience" UPDATED

 The Bristol Naturalist Society has had one of its members delete their own comment (regardinbg this post) as "it was political" and for me the BNS has done f-- all to help the various groups around Bristol.

I expect to have my response deleted at which point I shall point out they are cowards and leave.

"I'm sorry but we are being nonsensical here about politics. The badger -thanks to the legislation pushed and upgraded by the current political party has resulted in 250,000 badger deaths and no change in Bovine TB.; Even badgers that were tested for years and were nowhere near cattle were killed as part of the cull.

"Badgers are facing extinction -the yearly losses on top of the culls which it has been officially declared is the eradicate badgers from large portions of the country is something that as naturalists we HAVE to address.

"It doesn't matter what party is in power the purpose of a naturalist is to observe and record everything from fungi to mammals, birds and plants and over the last 20 years this has included the need to campaign and fight for conservation of native species and habitat. All of the campaigning going on around Bristol to preserve woodland and green spaces that are rich in wildlife I have not seen an official open support from the BNS for.

"We are at a crisis point with native habitat and wildlife and if someone says "Well, Labour have said they will stop the cull if they get into power" then that is a statement of fact that we, as naturalists should welcome. I understand large mammals such as badgers and foxes as well as otters are not of that much interest -just go over my posts on this page asking for assistance, etc., but they are a vital part of the eco system.

"I absolutely hate politics but it affects every aspect of our lives -we have 1.2K members here so why are we not joining the various save green space groups or meeting on College Green to protest at the cull and loss of habitat?"

" I would like to think that in 30 years time there will still be badgers and foxes but I doubt there will be. And there is even talk of moving culls into more urban areas.

"Where do we stand? What do we do? Sit back and wait for wildlife extinction?"

This article was forwarded to me and I think it might help more than a few people confused over the attempted badger extinction initiative and Bovine TB. Please help by supporting The Badger Crowd and making your MP aware of your stance regarding the cull.

According to TB HuB (the home of UK TB information), the Bovine TB Partnership comprises members with “extensive experience and expertise in the farming industry, private veterinary profession, non-government organisations, academia, local authorities, and government.” It is managed by Defra and has ‘Member organisations’ including the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), National Farmers Union, the British Cattle Veterinary Association, the British Veterinary Association and Natural England.

In recent weeks vet Dick Sibley and others have left the partnership, frustrated at lack of progress, and suggesting that anything not central to Defra’s agenda is not welcome.

Dick Sibley is well known as arguably the foremost English ‘coalface’  veterinary worker on bovine tuberculosis management, in Devon and beyond. He qualified as a vet from Bristol University Veterinary School in 1977 and has been in veterinary practice ever since, and he runs West Ridge Veterinary Practice based in Witheridge, in Mid Devon.

His X/Twitter biography describes him as “Veterinary surgeon working with cattle and other farm animals, hoping to make their lives better & healthier so that they can make our lives better & healthier”.

Dick is dedicated to the care of cattle, with particular expertise in the management of infectious diseases. He has an Honorary Fellowship, awarded for his work with BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), Foot and Mouth disease and Tuberculosis. He is National Secretary and President of the British Cattle Veterinary Association. He has a range of awards; RABDF Princess Anne Dairy Award, the RASE Bledisloe Cup, Honorary Life Membership BCVA, and Dairy Industry Award 2006 for veterinary services to the cattle industry.

Until recently, he was also a member of the government’s ‘Bovine Tuberculosis Partnership’. Towards the end of February 2024 however, it was reported in the farming press that Dick Sibley and another member had been removed from the partnership, and a third quietly resigned. Although it was originally envisaged in 2021 that the partnership would produce useful summaries of their work and make them publicly available, no insight into the thinking of the group has been forthcoming. It has been a closed shop. For the public and interested parties, there has been no insight at all, a huge disappointment considering its role and potential pivotal importance.

In short, the BTB partnership has been a failure. There are even gagging clauses on partnership members speaking publicly without approval.

Shortly after he left the Bovine TB Partnership Dick Sibley started posting on X (formerly Twitter) about his experiences and his posts offer interesting insight both into the problems faced and the workings of the so-called partnership.

By way of introduction to his long social media thread, Sibley pointed out:

“The 3 counties of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset have 7,989 cattle herds and generate 33% of new herd incidents of bovine TB in England.  At the end of September 2023. these 3 counties had 652 herds not officially TB free (OTF). (Down from 1011 in 2018, but up from 627 in 2021). I repeatedly mentioned this to the partnership. And got sacked. I guess if you don’t like the message, shoot the messenger.”

So, does Dick Sibley think that the current bTB policy is working well? He says:

“To get the country OTF by 2038 as pledged by DEFRA, I understand we need to get 99.9% of herds tb free for 6 years. In the 3 counties with current herds, that’s just 8 herds still non OTF by 2032. I don’t think that is possible doing what we are currently doing.”

The answer then, is no, he does not think Defra will achieve OTF status by 2038.

The reason behind this is that the current testing system - largely based on SICCT (the single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin test) and gamma testing - obviously leaves many infected animals in the herd that could only be found with a wider suite of tests, with local management of each unique farm circumstance needed to finish the job. 

For that reason, the current system is doomed to failure as amply demonstrated in painful slow-motion across the Republic of Ireland over decades. Testing needs to be constant and not confined to the current routine. Additional/supporting PCR/qPCR (polymerase chain reaction/quantitative real-time PCR) tests in particular. Use of Actiphage for pre-movement herd testing is the single essential action that would curtail disease spread rapidly, even if triggering a new national herd management strategy for diseased herds.

Why would Defra not want to look too closely at embedded infection? Perhaps too many reactors means too much compensation (too much money) seems the most likely explanation. It appears financially uneconomic, and more politically expedient to sit on?

Does Sibley think that the bTB partnership of which he has been a member is a helpful and functioning working group, producing & collating useful and relevant science? He says:

“.. for the past 3 years I have sat dutifully listening to unrealistic ideas on how we are going to replace badger culling with vaccination, BCG the cows and keep testing and killing. Short, truncated discussions on the pros and cons. That’s not a partnership, it’s an audience.”

Again, it looks like the answer is no. It sounds as if there was little engagement with the specialist expertise invited to attend. What does Sibley say about whether he believes badgers are an important source of cattle infection? He says:

“We have tried really hard here in the South West: started culling badgers in 2016 and peaked in 2018: 90% of the area of the 3 counties culling by 2021. More testing, more gamma, more killing, more restrictions and yet 892 herds lost their OTF status last year. Is that success? Of those 892 new herd incidents, most of them weren’t new. They were recurrences of established infections. We used to blame the badgers, but we have now killed most of them. So, as many of us suspected, they are more likely due to undetected residual infections within the herd.”

So, Dick Sibley is concluding that repeat infections are most likely due to undetected cattle infections. Sibley has usefully drawn attention to one of the more irrational of Defra’s many rules and restrictions; you can only test cattle for bTB if they are OTF. He says:

“Trouble is that the permission to test can only be given to herds that are not OTF! As soon as they go clear with a couple of clear skin tests, we can’t use any additional testing. Not even an extra skin test between the six-monthly routines. Endemic infection resurfaces. Nuts.”

There is more in Sibley’s threads: how Michael Gove became engaged in the issue, how that led to the Godfray Review (of the bTB policy), how Defra responded to set up the TB Partnership. But the partnership does not get a good account from Sibley:

“We listened, no decisions. Three quarters of the time taken up with presentations, then truncated discussions through lack of time. The rooms got smaller and smaller and tech more dysfunctional. Covid didn’t help. Frustrating”.

Frustration seems perhaps to be the overriding outcome of the partnership. Sibley writes frankly:

“I asked for targets, objectives, Key Performance Indicators. What was success? Could we have some radical thinking? Ok, maybe I was a bit mouthy. We were told about current policy and plans: phasing out of culling, phasing in of vaccination. But what about the big gap between the two? How could this work?

Task and finish groups did some great work: I co-chaired one on improving testing sensitivity. Brave of them to ask me! Our good group put in hours of constructive discussion and research to produce a detailed report. Radical but realistic. Where is it now? Wasted.

That report even led to a full day workshop held at the APHA site at Weybridge. I really thought that this would do some good and make a difference. A good day of real discussion and proper time spent on difficult issues. Nothing came of it.”

Dick Sibley goes on to cite an interesting case study:

“A small organic herd of red Devon beef sucklers: set up about 10 years ago. Before stocking the 200 acres of rolling Devon grassland, constructs 7km of badger and deer proof fencing. 2” mesh buried 40cm into the ground and going to 6ft+. Even Steve McQueen couldn’t get out.

The herd went down with Tb in 2019, 3 years after being established in its colditz. I got involved in 2021 and started enhanced testing to see what was going on. We SICCt every 60 days in accordance with rules, and then privately gamma, Idexx and phage 3 or 4 times yearly.

Of the 101 cattle that we have tested in the last 3 years, 42 have left the herd as reactors (either SICCT or gamma) and 40 have been designated high risk due to a positive result on another test type. 7 more were gamma positive last week. There is significant age clustering.

We have got 4 day old calves testing positive for antibody! They didn’t make that themselves, they got it from the colostrum. But mothers tested negative. The offspring of some test negative cows (but designated high risk) have all gone as reactors. We suspect mother – calf”.

So despite cattle being reliably isolated from potential wildlife infection, the embedded cattle infection persists.

Sibley’s thread finishes with:

“For those hunting the tb solution, be patient and manage your expectations. There is no simple solution. And for those campaigning for [badger] culling, just take a quick look at ibTB map. My patch is the squares with 61 and 59 in. That’s after 5 years of [badger] culling. Disappointing.”

For those with more than a passing interest, it is worth reading SIbley’s thread in its entirety. If nothing else, it may be the only window into the workings of the bTB partnership that those not actually in it will ever get.

Defra and APHA’s secret world of policy failure. Not so much a partnership as a captive audience of those who need Defra’s support in many ways and will not contradict them for personal and organisations reasons. Gagged to the outside world. It really stinks.

(Edited for length, the full version of this article can be found on The Badger Crowd.)

The Badger Crowd is a grassroots support and fundraising coalition including Badger Groups and Trusts around the UK, the public and a range of charities and funds. The Badger Crowd believes that legal challenges are an important fight, not just for the badger but also for the future of our countryside and the farming industry. The bovine TB badger cull policy is failing farmers, taxpayers and our precious wildlife and is allowing the bTB epidemic to spread and cause hardship and misery to a wide range of people across the country. 

https://thebadgercrowd.org/

Otters And Me

Having started a large mammal survey in Bristol during 2022 (it failed as the feedback from wildlife groups was...minimal by which I mean one person). I knew there were otters within my area so I contacted the Greater Bristol Otter Group. I even posted messages on the Bristol Naturalist Society and Bristol Nature Network Face Book pages. Nothing.

I was somewhat concerned about the number of otters I had heard were dying on roads in the City and County. By mid-January, 2023 I gave up and posted out the following:

"What is going on??

"Last year I made three attempts to contact the Bristol Otter Group. Nothing. Trying to find out more about otter deaths and even though I asked my questions on a discussion about an otter death...nothing.

"Then on Bristol Naturalist Society FB page I get this:

"'Hi, have you reported the recent death? The Greater Bristol Otter Group will need evidence of deaths to take forward and will collect the body if they can. I believe they are in contact with people about it, if you are referring to the A38."

My response:

"The otters I am referring to have all been mentioned here therefore I present no evidence. I am trying to find out how many otters died on Bristol roads in 2022 and deaths so far this year -there is confusion over whether we are talking two deaths in the last week or just one that is being mentioned twice. I also have asked why the otters go to Cardiff rather than, say, Langford. Also asking whether anyone has approached Bristol Council about wildlife underpasses to prevent the otter and other animals killed on roads in the City. No one seems to want to offer a simple response just go round in circles. Someone MUST be able to answer surely?'"

One would assume that naturalists being asked questions that are not that difficult by a fellow naturalist (mammalogist) would respond. Their page states:

"Our aim is to record otter presence in the Bristol area in order to gain a greater understanding of Bristol’s otter population while working alongside similar interest groups to exchange knowledge and ideas. Findings are reported to the Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre (BRERC) which helps with research and reporting on otter presence in order to identify patterns of behaviour and also the impact of human interaction."

The most important thing is that if otters are being killed along the same stretch of road that some type of underpass is created so that they do not have to cross a road.

In the end I contacted Cardiff University whose Otter Project carries out testing on otters found dead around the UK. Thankfully, they were far more helpful:

"Hi Terry,

"I have just looked through our database and mapped all our otter locations and unfortunately it appears we have only ever received one otter from Bristol in 2014. I have attached the PM form for this otter as well as its location on the map.

"We were surprised to discover that we have only had one otter from Bristol and upon further digging I found that we do still have a contact from the Environment Agency that covers all of North Wessex. It seems from previous emails that we have been cc'ed in that there may be a freezer full of otters in Bristol that we were unaware of, but we are yet to receive them.

"At the moment, we are at full capacity with our freezer space and have had to put a temporary halt on post-mortems, so we can't receive anymore. However, once we get going again, I will try to get in contact with someone down in Bristol and see if we can arrange to deliver the otters to Cardiff. Once we do, I will be sure that we send you the location and post-mortem results, but this may take several months.

"We would love to help you with your work in preventing more otter deaths, so sorry we couldn't be of more help.

Many thanks,

signed

I thanked the team and asked to be kept in touch with any results from otters in my area and eventually got another response:

"Hi Terry,

"Just to update you, we had a delivery from the Greater Bristol Otter Group on Friday 20th. I've updated the map so there is now three otters that have been delivered to us from the county of Bristol. I have attached the closeup of the location of these otters as it appears two of them were located very close from each other on the A4174. We don't have the PM report for these yet as that will take several months, however please let me know if you would like them.

"After talking with GBOG and looking into our records, I would like to confirm that the group has been sending us otters over the past several years. However, as they cover the  Greater Bristol area, it means that they also include the surrounding counties, such as Somerset and Gloucestershire. In the attachments, I have shared with you the location of the otters that were delivered to us by GBOG on Friday. As you can see, most of them were located in Somerset. I have also included a wider view map, showing that dead otters are being widely reported across Wessex, however as Bristol is a more urban area they are perhaps less likely to be found there.

"I hope this helps clear up any confusion that may have arisen and please let me know if we can do anything else to help.

"Many thanks,

signed"

Bristol otter location

wider view

new otters from GBOG 20.01.23

Closeup of Bristol otter deaths

Well, I joined the Greater Bristol Otter Group but it wasn't getting me anywhere and their last website post appears to have been from 2014. So, to help move things along I posted some otter news and even raised the subject of koi carp owners using "electrical devices" to deter otters.

The following item I posted on 4th July, 2023 and asked whether that came within the GBOG area?

"Some sad news from Gloucestershire: An otter has died after being caught in an illegal crayfish trap in the River Frome in Stroud, Glos.

"A second otter was found in a distressed state nearby and Gloucestershire Police have today (July 4) issued a warning about the danger posed to the protected animals by the use of unlicensed traps in the area.

"A wild swimmer came across a distressed otter in the River Frome in Stroud on Wednesday 28 June," said a police spokesperson.

"On further investigation the swimmer found another otter trapped inside a signal crayfish trap nearby, however the animal was already dead.

"The incident was reported to animal welfare officers at Stroud District Council and police were informed. The net has since been removed."

"Alex Myrie, Senior Animal Welfare Officer at Stroud District Council said: "The trapping of signal crayfish can only be done on licence issued by the Environment Agency, and a condition of that licence is that all traps must have an otter guard.

"This doesn't appear to have been done on this occasion and as a result, an otter has become caught in the net and has sadly died.

"This is extremely upsetting and a second otter at the scene was visibly distressed. Therefore we would ask anyone who has a licence to trap crayfish, to ensure they are complying with the conditions of their licence and to trap responsibly."

"The police spokesperson added "The Environment Agency does not allow or licence traps in the Frome area due to the potential risk to endangered native white clawed crayfish, the only exception being for scientific monitoring by consultancies.

"Otters are a protected species and it is an offence to deliberately kill, injure, disturb or capture them.

"Anyone with information about this incident can provide this to police online by completing the following form and quoting incident 27 of 28 June: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/.../tell-us-about..."

A crayfish net

I wish that I could say that I got a response from GBOG but I never did. Hopefull;y the otters got  to Cardiff -I believe they did.

I then got involved, accidentally as is normal, in the matter of a dead otter cub in the North of England. The behaviour and its death raised concerns with the rescue involved and as they do microscopy work on hedgehog faeces they did the same with the otter cub.

To cut a long story short the rescue arranged with an Environment Agency contact to have the otter sent down to Cardiff University Otter Project.

Now the rescue sent me two microscopy photos and two video clips and I forwarded these to the excellent pathologist that carries out all the dead fox post mortems. He expressed an interest in carrying out a full diagnostic post mortem on the cub and I explained that the carcass was going to Cardiff. I learnt that Cardiff does not carry out full diagnostic PMs which I had not realised before nd are more interested in the genetic side of otters.

In fact, there is a very interesting article on that very subject:

Country-wide genetic monitoring over 21 years reveals lag in genetic recovery despite spatial connectivity in an expanding carnivore (Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra) population

Nia E. Thomas, Frank Hailer, Michael W. Bruford, Elizabeth A. Chadwick

Now, as I note, the pathologist in Bristol is top notch and far more thorough in his work than we had ever expected -in fact Cardiff has been known to ask him for assists if they find anything.

Although the genetic work is very important it seems that there is little to no information on parasites, etc in otters because the work has not been carried out.

I can bore endlessly on post mortems and what we have learnt about foxes and the thing is those PMs are adding to the data because it was never carried out before . With otters it is just as important to know what is going on and the general health of the population and so on.

What I am not saying is "Ignore Cardiff" -they do valuable work. What I am suggesting is that any dead otters be sent to Bristol for full diagnostic post mortems. Cardiff does not lose out in any way as they get what they need and I was communicating with them and the pathologist and forwarding discussion to GBOG. In a way it is almost like getting constant head pains that nothing seems to stop so you get a choice to see your GP again or a neurologist (hint just in case -go for the neurologist).

The importance of seeing what is going on health wise with any population, especially one as restricted as otters, is not just going to add to what we know but help detect health issues in a local population and in some instances try to help stop those issues. Again, we are learning more and more about treating foxes in the wild without trapping, stressing, treating in a centre after a long journey then releasing than ever.

How do we treat lung worm in otters that could kill them or do we simply sit back and wait for them to die then do a post mortem and cross our fingers in the hope they will not all die off?

The emphasis is, again, on the fact that Cardiff does NOT lose out and that is very important. If I thought that sending otters to Bristol for PM would create problems and halt Cardiff's research then, however strongly I feel about the health and welfare issue here I would not suggest it. In fact, I have nothing to gain from this in case anyone wonders -I am a mammalogist specialising in canids, felids and mustelids and the last thing I want to do is jump into the otter ring.

So, please, if you find a dead otter, let me know and I can forward the details on who to contact so that we can get the post mortems and Cardiff also gets the data it needs.

And I apologise if I step on anyone's toes but I have always been hands on in wildlife work and upsetting people is not what I want to do.

https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/.../2684993-scientists-grow...

My communication between the northern group who found the otter pup and Cardiff and the pathologist resulted in this:

rescue "At 7am we were called about a small otter pup lying on the path by Tems Beck in Giggleswick. It had been seen the previous night with an adult, and then again, but alone this morning. The finder Tim, checked on him an hour after first spotting him, and he was still there, and he had been seen earlier by someone else. Tim called the police and RSPCA, but had no joy and fortunately got our number. Jane Carpenter was there within about 10 minutes, and Tim had waited with the otter. This little man was not trying to get away, but he was trying to give a good bite.

"We followed the otter protocol from the last time we rescued a pup, warmed him up and got straight onto our friend Dave Webb from the UK Wild Otter Trust so that we could arrange a specialist rescue place and transport for 'Chewbacca'. After 'Chewy' enjoyed a little salmon, he became very weak and his little body started to shut down, and he gave just up. There was obviously something very wrong for him to have been abandoned and then for him to not try to escape, and then pass so quickly. "

The rescue attached some microscopy slides/clips that they took and I will attach those here so that you can see.

"The pathologist carries out, via Bristol Uni Post Mortem Services, all of the PMs on foxes submitted as part of the Fox Deaths Project -I am sure you know of his work?  I contacted Mr. ****** and sent him the above and attachments and he responded:

"I’m not sure of the magnification but the still images be of a fluke. There has been very little work on endoparasites in otters and I would be very keen to do a diagnostic PM on this cub. A nematode Pseudoterranova spp. and an acantocephalan have been identified in gut contents. It should be noted that some parasites found in the gut may be parasites of fish prey rather than of the otter."

The rescue explained that the Environment Agency had the otter and it was hoped the pup could be diverted to Bristol so I sent the pathologist's response to Cardiff:

"Unfortunately I received that reply after I was told that the otter was heading your way. I wondered whether there would be any way of having Mr. *****  carry out a diagnostic PM on the cub? My apologies if that is trampling over any protocols I am not aware of but I am trying to fix a miscommunication and as the rescue were concerned about any health issues in the local otters that might need dealing with I thought I would ask.

Again, apologies for any trampling on protocols.

Warm regards"

The pathologist was concerned that the amount of transport time and back and forth might mean autolysis was setting in (In biology, autolysis, more commonly known as self-digestion, refers to the destruction of a cell through the action of its own enzymes. It may also refer to the digestion of an enzyme by another molecule of the same enzyme.)  I assumed that the pup had not been diverted to Bristol which was a pity but...

So I had kept GBOG up-to-date (via email) of what had been discussed and on 30th November 2023 posted the following to groups:

"An update on otters.

I have chatted with the Greater Bristol Otter Group as well as Cardiff University Otter Project and the Bristol pathologist and this is how the situation stands.

The GBOG will continue taking RTA otters to Cardiff.

In the event of an otter(s) dying from unknown causes and away from a road then Bristol will take the otter and carry out a full diagnostic post mortem to determine the cause.

So all the bases are covered and after three days I can breath again"

GBOG were going to eventually discuss all of this but I had even made efforts to find someone who could retrieve otter carcasses when found so they did not lose any. I stepped back but things were not going well when it came to GBOG and was rather rudely told (very publicly) "We never agreed to any of this". At the beginning of February I had a dead otter reported to me so I emailed GBOG (who say it can take 24-48 hours before they get to messages) and...what a mess. Here is my post from 4th February 2024

otter found under a car in a Bristol car park. It was put to sleep due to injuries and GBOG informed but no one collected.

" I was today contacted, as far as I can ascertain, not by a member of the Bristol Otter Group, about the otter I confirmed as being dead on Friday. I was contacted after a discussion at an event (apparently) and it was reported that there was a dead otter at a known blackspot -firstly for animal welfare and protection I do not give out locations of otters whether dead or alive and so the location was misinformation not originating from me.

"Last year I spent a great deal of time communicating with Bristol pathology and Cardiff university and in the end it was decided that otters should be diverted to Bristol where full post mortems could be carried out (such PMs are a rarity) and Cardiff got the samples it needed and this would give an overall picture of otter health -it would also save the otter group having to store the otters for a long period and then drive to Cardiff and back. I even had someone at the time who would drive out to collect the bodies for them since it can take 24-48 hours at best to get any response from them.

"I was given a public slap on the face (on this group -Bristol Naturalist Society) for having said the otter group agreed to this. I did not state that. The important thing is to get animals who are under study to a pathology lab asap. After a number of hours rigor mortis sets in and even in the current weather flies settle on carcasses and they become "maggot surprises" -we are all too familiar with that in fox carcass retrievals.

"On the 2nd February I reported a confirmed otter death and posted here about it and that a vet was in possession of it. I believe that it was four days later I was asked which vet as the person (I assume from the GBOG but she never identified herself as such) thought it might be possible to collect it. Vets that are willing, and there are very few, to keep a dead animal in their freezer only do so for about 24 hours so unless a request is made to store for a day more then protocol kicks in and the carcass is sent for disposal. So 3-4 days later the otter is gone.

"The current otter was reported and confirmed as an otter on Friday. If fly strike and other wildlife have not all started doing their work it would be a miracle. I kept a location map of both and awaited someone from the otter group to get in touch.

"As a field naturalist and the person recording fox and badger deaths in the area I tend to have something like a dead otter reported on the day of death. Fresh.

"I will keep recording any otter deaths an d make people aware of them but unless the otter group changes the way it works then these will also be lost. I learnt the lesson the hard way about collecting and submission so I hope protocols can be changed so that people are contactable and can go out to recover bodies asap.

"And 'thank you' to the person who contacted me and indeed MY time is equally as important with the workload I have."

Absolutely no response. Then another otter death reported and...nothing after five days. As long as I can find someone to collect any future dead otters I will make sure they go to Bristol pathology and GBOG will be informed.

In 2022 I learnt  that some tenants in an area of Bristol were using equipment purchased from Ebay and Amazon to create electrical fencing to deter otters from koi carp ponds. This is also going on in other areas with carp ponds.

I went through DEFRA who were utterly useless and did not seem to give a damn about the matter despite, and I quote:

"Otters are designated and protected as European protected species ( EPS ). EPS are protected under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. It is an offence to: deliberately kill, injure, disturb or capture them."

So after the usual run around I contacted Bristol City Council Animal Welfare  Department and I was given the shrug and "nothing to do with us" (BCC just keeps on 'giving'). Despite otter deaths on one particular road the idea of fencing and an animal road underpass was "beyond council local policy" whatever that means.

My next port of call was the supposed be all and end all on these things -Natural England. I emailed, got passed along, ignored and then after further efforts to be a pest got this response in January 2023 but Natural England does not seem to give a damn.

"Hello Terry

"I have had an email from another colleague about your query which I thought might be useful for you. He has read the Natural England guidance that was on the facebook thread and had the following comment:

"Although this refers to development and habitat loss I think the people with the pond need to be careful how they mitigate against the otters to protect the pond. The extract includes ‘uses otter-proof fences to stop otters getting on to development sites’.

"He suggests contacting Natural England for a clear answer on what people are allowed to do to protect an established pond.

"I believe this is the quote in question.

Avoidance, mitigation and compensation measures

Look for examples of avoidance, mitigation or compensation plans in the development proposal. The proposal could avoid:

· work on or near the water body and known otter habitat, including work to road crossings and culverts

· disturbance effects, for example, by leaving a buffer zone along a river

· night works

The size of the buffer zone along the stretch of water will vary depending on:

· how otters use the area

· the type of vegetation at the site

· the level of existing background disturbance

· the level of proposed disturbance

Where avoidance measures are not possible, mitigation measures could include designing the development so that it:

· retains otter habitats in the water body and bank

· uses otter-proof fences to stop otters getting into development sites

Otters are highly territorial animals with large home ranges. Depending on the quality of the habitat and availability of food, males can range along rivers for 35km. Otters will continue to try and use routes if alternatives are not included in a mitigation strategy.

Contact Natural England

Natural England County Hall Spetchley Road Worcester WR5 2NP United Kingdom

Email

enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk

Telephone

0300 060 3900"

So I am now chasing NE up again. It is about time people began to learn to live with wildlife and find ways around problems without the use of devices that might harm wildlife. During all of this not one single response or ounce of cooperation from the GBOG.

HOW OTTERS ARE PROTECTED

Otters are designated and protected as European protected species (EPS). EPS are protected under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.

It is an offence to:

• deliberately kill, injure, disturb or capture them
• possess, control or transport them (alive or dead)

It is also an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to intentionally or recklessly:

• disturb otters while they occupy a structure or place used for shelter or protection
• obstruct access to a place of shelter or protection

Otters are listed as rare and most threatened species under Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (2006). You must have regard for the conservation of Section 41 species as part of your planning decision. Find out more about your biodiversity duty.

The developer must comply with the legal protection of otters.

You should consider if the developer has taken appropriate measures to avoid, mitigate and, as a last resort, compensate for any negative effects on otters. 

The developer may need to apply for an otter mitigation licence to carry out their proposal.

                                  ********

When someone asked that grills covering over culverts be opened or widened to prevent further otter deaths on a road black spot the fun began as reported on Bristol Live 2nd July 2023:

"“I have (since) found an example of an Environment Agency grill in Mousehole with a much greater width between the bars which would allow otters to pass. It is unlikely that Pigeon House stream grill is owned or installed by the Environment Agency as there is no sign stating this so it is likely to be owned by BCC.

“Despite the disturbing deaths of these two otters, and several requests by a number of people including me, nothing has been done in the last six months to address the problem. The current harbourside litter bin campaign states that BCC likes otters but clearly practical measures are needed beyond photos on bins,” he added.

“Can the Mayor now take tangible steps to address mortality of otters on Hartcliffe Way? This may include adjusting the grill on Pigeon House Stream in order that otters can pass under the road and otter fencing to prevent the passage of otters across the road,” he added.

"The Mayor is expected to respond to the formal question in the week before July’s full council meeting.

"When asked by Bristol Live about the screen, Bristol City Council said it was the Environment Agency's responsibility. "It is the Environment Agency who need contacting as it's not a flood risk or a highways issue," a spokesperson said.

"A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said the screen was not one of theirs. "Many culverted watercourses across Bristol rely on trash screens to prevent blockages which could jeopardise people and property due to flood risk," a spokesperson for the Environment Agency South West said. "This screen is not owned or used by us, but flood risk authorities who manage such assets are mindful of issues like this," they added."

Of course nothing happened. The shameful legacy of the Labour City Council and Mayor (the Green Party has an equal number of seats but appear disinterested). For around three years I have pushed to try to get wildlife over/underpasses at animal death black spots. The Mayor has decided to do what he always does "ignore it and it'll go away"  and has ignored four emails and a letter detailing fox and badger as well as otter deaths on Bristol roads in 2023.  But from a Council violating environmental law on a regular basis it should not be a surprise. 

But in all of this time -otter deaths, wildlife safety passes or use of electrical devices to "deter" otters not one single word from the Greater Bristol Otter Group. And I would very much ;like them to get involved especially since I am the person most likely to have a dead otter reported to them.  I have nothing against anyone at GBOG because, honestly, they have never been interested in getting in touch.  I am interested in the wildlife and not ego boosting but I hope this explains and shows that I have always been open to cooperation and as naturalists that is what we should be doing.

image Nature Scotland

Cats or Humans: Which Is The TRUE Killer Of Millions of Species?

  As a "shut up" to the people who follow the bad math of domestic cats wiping out millions of animals each year (yet despite over 1000+ years of domestic cats in the UK those species are still here).  Here we can estimate based on real body counts ands I can assure you that no cats were driving the vehicles. 

How many animals are killed on the roads UK?

In Britain annual road casualties are estimated to account for 100,000 foxes, 100,000 hedgehogs, 50,000 badgers and 30,000-50,000 deer.  Badgers were previously estimated at 65,000+ killed each year (and ignore the 250,000 humans have wiped out in a programme of extermination).

Ignore me and let's see what the Wikipedia entry on road kill has to say

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadkill#:~:text=Globally%2C%20the%20number%20amounts%20to,%2C%20reptiles%2C%20birds%20and%20mammals.

In the United States, over 1 million vertebrate animals are killed by vehicle collisions every day. Globally, the number amounts to roughly 5.5 million killed per day, which when extrapolated climbs to over 2 billion annually.

A year-long study in northern India in an agricultural landscape covering only 20 km of road identified 133 road kills of 33 species comprising amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The study compared all species seen along the road and estimated that traffic killed individuals of 30% of amphibian species, 25% of reptile species, 16% of birds, and 27% of mammals.

  I checked and none of the drivers was identified as being a cat (forgive the black humour it comes with the work)

French wildlife overpass

 

We like to scapegoat an animal for the destruction we cause and even the poor hedgehog was the victim of bounty killing and are still being killed anywhere ground nesting 'sport birds' are kept. Oh, the badger was blamed for their declining numbers....then the fox. Never humans.

We blame the grey squirrel for the decline in red squirrels and yet they were released and merely replaced the British red squirrel that 'sportsmen' had wiped out by the 1860s...they then imported more.

We are now legally exterminating a 'protected species' (badger) based on bad science and corruption as the cause of bovine tb.

Foxes are now declining as a species. There are other species declining at an alarming rate in the UK and that is not due to fluffy the cat.

Please do not write"cats are an invasive species" because they are not. There were cats of a number of types before humans started colonising Britain -oh; we managed to wipe out the surviving lynx and then the wild cats.  Humans are a true invasive species that kills everything and anything for fun or because they simply do not care.

Stop blaming every animal in existence and look in the mirror to see the real wildlife destroyer.

Can YOU Help Support Fox Rescue?

Sarah Mills is on call daily to treat mild or severe cases of mange in foxes as well as trap and get veterinary help for injured foxes. She has covered every area in Bristol as well as just outside the City and even Bath.

Dedication is not, however, all it takes. When you think of the mileage and fuel bill involved it is beyond most people's "out of pocket expenses".

Two traps are required because with a city the size of Bristol past experience has shown that 2-3 traps may be required at one time.  We set the goal as £300 which is extremely low but as support from people tends to not get that high it seemed possibly achievable. Ask any wildlife rescue and £300 vanishes very quickly!

If you can help with a donation (no obligation) that all helps. 

Thank You

*****************************************************

Sarah:

This year has started badly when it comes to fox deaths. Mainly on the roads but also some absolutely horrific facial injuries. All of the foxes rescued needed to be trapped to avoid more stress and pain, meaning easy transportation to the vets. Non of the injuries this year have been able to be put right. But the Foxes have been able to be set free to heaven and an end to pain and suffering.

Currently not being able to set a trap in more than once place at a time is hard and having to choose who is more deserving is heartbreaking.

As always thank you x

https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/92qsISwO5u

Just some of the rescues Sarah has worked on and ones that can be shown because some involve what would be described as "horrific injuries". The first image shows how exhausted some foxes can be as curling up and sleeping in a trap is far from normal behaviour.