Many
of my relatives in England have been saved.
The dreaded Badger
cull has been ‘postponed’ – and I hope will be cancelled completely.
They
say there are scientific reasons for having to murder quite so many Badgers - but
the original proponent of the scheme has changed his view and as reported
today:
“The government's
claim to a "science-led" policy was derided by Lord John Krebs, the
architect of a landmark 10-year badger culling trial. He called it
"mindless" and signed a letter with 31 other eminent scientists
demanding the government reconsider its plan.”
I despair that any
time any animal ‘threatens’ any aspect of humanity our immediate response is to kill it.
A classic case is
the Grey Nurse shark which lives off the coast of NSW.
This
shark used to abound in NSW waters and is completely harmless to humans. In the
1960s I used to surf at Manly (a Sydney beach) and occasionally caught the same waves as these
sharks as they fed at dusk.
Through
a range of murderous methods we have managed to turn it into a critically endangered
species – it was estimated in 2000 that there were only 292 survivors.
Sometimes
I despair that we cannot live on this planet without utterly trashing it and
its native flora and fauna.
"manly" a sydney beach! geez mate Bower street is without a doubt the most beautiful place on earth!!! its in my top 10.. and you are right re the grey nurse 100%
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post, and so true. When will we ever learn?
ReplyDelete"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the ways its animals are treated." (Gandhi)
ReplyDeleteI hate the use of the word 'cull'. It's one of those words used to soften the reality of the situation, which is quite brutal.
ReplyDeleteWe are definitely a stain on the planet; won't be happy till we've destroyed the place. Desperate times. Perhaps we should be culling the cullers?
ReplyDelete"Sometimes I despair that we cannot live on this planet without utterly trashing it and its native flora and fauna."
ReplyDeleteMe too.
Culling is a lot better word than the dreaded 'euthanase', which I hate. I follow Compost Woman's blog aptly named The Compost Bin. She had recently been seeking support to ban the badger cull. BTW, no one would ever cull you, Badger, of that you can be sure.
ReplyDeleteSimon: Yes I used to live at Manly - it is a great spot.
ReplyDeleteSK Waller: Unfortunately - when it is much too late - and probably is already
Wanderlust: The correct word for me is slaughter.
Sandy: Happy to cull a few politicians
Alexia: And it is going to get worse
Annie: Viennese Badgers are protected.
Beautiful post and great pic...
ReplyDeleteViera: Thanks
ReplyDelete