Heartland

MadameButterfly wrote:Now shall we prey and all be friends again in this thread...

mh wrote:I always thought it was reasonably well known that badgers did spread TB...?

It may be that some lies are being spread around (along with Bovine Tuberculosis - BTB) ... Actually, no Badgers DO NOT 'spread' BTB. That is propaganda foisted on us by the National Farmers Union (NFU), and various lobby groups for commercial multi-national agri-chemical companies. BTB is a truly awful disease that is incubated and spread by bad farming practices.

If you want real hard scientific evidence from experts, see Trevor Lawson's thoughts on the Badger Trust's website at:

www.badger.org.uk

and Badger Watch Ireland at:

www.badgerwatch.ie

Nightly, 6,000 snares are legally set in the Republic of Ireland to cruelly exterminate the poor remaining and innocent Irish Badgers. Their colleagues in Ulster are luckier and are presently still protected by Law.

If you want first hand knowledge of the dreadful cruelty in Ireland, speak to my friend Bernie Barrett who does all she can to protect these beautiful animals. SHE is a modern saint of the Fair Sex, so I hope MB, HL, Sinnie and others will approve, eh?

Managed to control my temper again! - Wow, I am doing well ... Maybe I should come and dig out the 'setts' of those who think it is ok to persecute Badgers? - I was called Gnasher at school for good reason.
I'm glad scotty and others care about our wildlife too, but let us not be fooled by the 'interests' of others please? They are not our or the animals friends.

reactiv8 wrote:

MadameButterfly wrote:Now shall we prey and all be friends again in this thread...

I've realized my mistake in this thread....

Oh good gawd!

MadameButterfly wrote:

I've realized my mistake in this thread....

Oh good gawd!

No worries MB, I'll forgive you this time but ...

In case any one thought a Badger ‘cull’ was a good idea and somehow ‘humane’, ...
this is the REALITY: TORTURE & SLOW DEATH.

This picture was taken recently in the Republic of Ireland, followed by the email from ‘Saint’ Bernie Barrett to me, and my 'opinion'.



Chris,

here's the evidence even though pictures never clearly demonstrate the real savage nature of our Government's 'restraining harness' aka the deadly snare - Ireland's very own weapon of mass destruction.
This sow - one of last year's cubs, I suspect, was caught around the groins and belly. The loop of the snare pulled back almost as far as its 'stopper'. In short her lower extremity was pulled tight the into noose.
Vet at the scene put an end to the suffering. We know the snare was not checked for two days, Friday until 1pm Sunday (we always said they weren't checked regularly)
An urgent meeting with Environment Minister is being sought.

Bernie

So, Scotty and mh still think this is a good idea and they are somehow ‘conservationists’ now do they? Draw your own conclusions, but to those who disagree with me, just be thankful we are separated by some distance.

I don’t want an apology because I am infinitely more concerned about the Badgers, but Shame on You anyway.

reactiv8 wrote: Draw your own conclusions, but to those who disagree with me, just be thankful we are separated by some distance.

Not wanting to get too involved, I'm allergic to seriousness, but that wee bit is right out of order.

If you can't handle a faceless forum difference of opinion without resorting to that sort of tactic, you should actually log off.

Besides.....


Fear the bunny!

Erm...but I wuvs bunnehs.

weebleswobble wrote:Not wanting to get too involved, I'm allergic to seriousness, but that wee bit is right out of order.

If you can't handle a faceless forum difference of opinion without resorting to that sort of tactic, you should actually log off.

Damn. Who knew that the good ol' HL community was capable of its own level-headed self-policing?!
Dammit, weebs, if this kind of thing keeps up, I'll be out of (yet another) job!

So it's alright to say I'll twit you if you disagree with me?

No of course not, but within these walls...HAHAHA! * *

But freedom of speech without religious discrimination should be allowed.
Weapons of any kind should not be used, nor should there be governments hiding weapons of destruction to us all but there are.
People of today are too stressed and the presidents of today are all still men who want to fight wars. Admit it you all like the toy/rambo/hero part of it all thanks to the propaganda of the world that has been going on for as long as before I was even born...

Truth is people are cruel it's in our instincts but we all love the rabbits and the horseres, dogs, cats. birds, owls, reptiles, some of us have allergies to the hairy kind, but would never harm a human soul. Our people within these walls are that kind and in that thought I have faith in our community which is that of HL if any kind!

All hail for HL \m/
All hail to us who are level headed \m/

Right, I'm wading in on this now as a professional countryside manager...

The practice of using snares is wrong. The best and surest method of population control of any species that uses den/borrow/set is gas pellet. The above practice of snares is, quite frankly, barbaric and out-dated.

Bovine TB is actually spread by badgers in the same way bubonic plague is spread by rats and foot and mouth by horses. They are carriers of the disease.

Does this mean there is a need for a limited cull? Yes, but it's far from being a long term solution. It's a short term solution that also happens to be the most cost effective...right up until the badger population recovers.

Does this mean there is a need for a change in farming practice? Yes as it is the best, long term solution.

As for the staple diet of foxes being rabbits, that's utter crap. Their main diet is insects, worms, small rodents (ie wood mice, voles, etc. Not rabbits), eggs and young/injured/ill birds. It might help if the person who wrote the original letter actually knew something about what they were pontificating about.

<EDIT> Damn, double post.

weebleswobble wrote:So it's alright to say I'll tw*t you if you disagree with me?

No, it's absolutely not all right, and any such suggestions or threats are, and will be, taken dead seriously. Violence isn't a friggin' joke, folks.

mh wrote:As for "no natural predators", all you have to do is look at the situation with rabbits in Australia.

True. Look at what Global Warming did to the poor creatures




IZ.

Say no to violence never! In my 33 years of existance I've never hit anyone or violently attacked anyone ever. Violence is something our brain can control and it's just you to know how to.

There are so many rights that should be protected like the human right, but hey we are those beings and we can't even get that one!

It's still so sad that the world and where we are today is just the same as yesterday really..we all know our future lies with non existence..and the powers in our leaders are still playing tricks of today...the past has still not taught some the lessons...*sigh*

<rant off...in probably wrong thread if so please forgive me>

In the same breathe I say leave mother nature for what she is as she needs to be...those tiny little germs and diseases like viruses etc. have no mercy on human souls or any thing for that matter. These viruses and epidemics will grow as mother nature continues to turn and twist and spiral but like the saying goes that's nature and we are part of it.

It's still so sad that we are still so cruel to each other in the real world that people just kill people. We are the prey really ain't we.

Bring on da Bomb

I'd prefer mother nature thanks!

weebleswobble wrote:Bring on da Bomb

any chance for the G8?

Syberberg wrote:Bovine TB is actually spread by badgers in the same way bubonic plague is spread by rats and foot and mouth by horses. They are carriers of the disease.

www.badger.org.uk

www.badgerwatch.ie

reactiv8 wrote:

Syberberg wrote:Bovine TB is actually spread by badgers in the same way bubonic plague is spread by rats and foot and mouth by horses. They are carriers of the disease.

www.badger.org.uk

www.badgerwatch.ie

There are so many holes in that I really don't know where to begin.

I'll start with the last bit. Badgers are immune to bovine TB...well, that's hardly a surprise is it? It wouldn't be called BOVINE TB if the specific disease strain also affected badgers. That last bit states that badgers can carry the disease, if they carry it, they spread it. Use a bit of logic and some basic science rather than relying on unscientific propaganda. Horses, for example, are immune to foot and mouth (it only affects animals with cloven hooves, ie pigs, cattle, deer, goats and sheep), but they can spread it by the fact that they carry it.

Johne's Disease: (Info from DEFRA) A chronic bacterial disease of cattle, sheep, goats and many other species, also known as paratuberculosis. Cattle and sheep tend to be infected by different strains, but most strains seem to be able to infect several species. Wildlife, including deer and rabbits are also susceptible. In cattle, clinical signs do not usually appear before two years of age. Affected animals have a persistent diarrhoea, gradually lose weight and eventually die. There is no fever or loss of appetite. In sheep and goats, the main sign of the disease is loss of weight. The faeces of infected animals may contain large numbers of the bacteria and the usual route of infection is believed to be by the consumption of food (including colostrum) or water contaminated by the organism. Infection can also pass from a cow to her calf before birth. Calves are particularly susceptible and cattle normally pick up the infection during the first month of life.

(Emphasis mine).

So, there is no connection between Johne's Disease and Bovine TB. Why mention it except for use as misleading propaganda to people who haven't got the necessary scientific information. There is no link between Johne's Disease and Bovine TB or badgers.

As for the 193% rise...lies, damn lies and statistical manipulation. In this case it's the latter, or rather quoting a figure with no reference or context. Yet more bad propaganda. A single herd, with 2yr old calves, 1yr old calves and their mothers could easily have a 300% increase in infection rate, due to the way the disease works. Nor does it say the increase is just in cattle. Figures quoted without any context or reference are valueless.

Coccidiosis: Again, we have another figure quoted without any context. Is that increase in coccidiosis in general across the livestock and poultry industry, or just livestock? Coccidiosis, yet again, has nothing to do with badgers and Bovine TB. Why is it being quoted? Yet more highly misleading and inaccurate propaganda. Yet more valueless data.

For more on this entertaining little parasite, go here.

Pneumonia: Yet again, another figure quoted without any context. Yet again, completely unrelated to Bovine TB and badgers. Why quote it?

You're getting your information from one source and (as far as I can see) not questioning it, nor doing your own research. Why?

I see in the Budget that yet again there is no tax on badgers- draw your own conclusions

Syberberg wrote: Why?

reactiv8 wrote:

Syberberg wrote: Why?

Ah. I see. Fair enough then. Shall we agree to disagree on this area of dispute, as there is probably nothing we can actually say that will further any kind of debate or discussion?

I love animals more than I do humans, and I have no idea how to reconcile this dilemma - so I'm staying out of it.

*Cheering ensues*