Dead Badgers. Where the feck do they all come from?

[pilchardthecat]

There is one particular bit of road about 1 mile long adjacent to some farmland where there are always at least 4 badger corpses, sometimes more. They usually remain there for a day or two and then disappear and then the next day there is another set (no pun intended).

This has been going on for a few years now and it struck me the other day that surely at this rate of attrition the badger population aught to have dropped such that the number of new corpses appearing would fall. But it hasn't.

Please feel free to pontificate about these fast-breeding apparently suicidal badgers

[Shamu]

I heard that farmers will often trap/kill badgers as there a nuisance/pest, but then dump them by the road to make it look like a natural death, as killing them is illegal?

[ewenm]

Badger badger badger

[Prof Prolapse]

Shamu said:

I heard that farmers will often trap/kill badgers as there a nuisance/pest, but then dump them by the road to make it look like a natural death, as killing them is illegal?

Was this the "real life" Midsomer murders?

Sounds like a lot of effort to go to when you can just chuck them in with the rest of the general waste and claim you ran it over in the farm if anybody questions it...

[PoleDriver]

[Muncle Trogg]

Try asking this lot:

http://www.badger-killers.co.uk/

We had them protesting outside the office a little while ago (we sublet to an environmental consultancy involved in the proposed cull) although 3 people and a toy loudspeaker didn't warrant all the security warning we got.

Incidentally, there seems to be a similar issue with pheasants along a stretch of the M25 near Clacketts Lane.

[daemon]

Can these animals not be taught even the basics of the green cross code?

I came round a corner the other night and there was a cat on the road, which decided to run UP the road in front of me. How dumb was that.

[Prof Prolapse]

Pheasants just run out though. I've had them the same one jump into the path of my car three times in succession.

They have to be the most stupid bird on Earth.

I've even heard rumours that if you put place them in a circular pen of sufficient size they'll run themselves to death looking for the corner.

[Steve in Stoke]

ewenm said:

Badger badger badger

That's ruined the afternoon for me....!!!

[Marlin45]

pilchardthecat said:

There is one particular bit of road about 1 mile long adjacent to some farmland where there are always at least 4 badger corpses, sometimes more. They usually remain there for a day or two and then disappear and then the next day there is another set (no pun intended).

This has been going on for a few years now and it struck me the other day that surely at this rate of attrition the badger population aught to have dropped such that the number of new corpses appearing would fall. But it hasn't.

Please feel free to pontificate about these fast-breeding apparently suicidal badgers

Is there a badger equivalent of a chav pub in the vicinity with two for one shot deals?

[anonymous-user]

PoleDriver said:

+badger

[jdw1234]

Prof Prolapse said:

Shamu said:

I heard that farmers will often trap/kill badgers as there a nuisance/pest, but then dump them by the road to make it look like a natural death, as killing them is illegal?

Was this the "real life" Midsomer murders?

Sounds like a lot of effort to go to when you can just chuck them in with the rest of the general waste and claim you ran it over in the farm if anybody questions it...

They spread TB.

[SWH]

jdw1234 said:

Prof Prolapse said:

Shamu said:

I heard that farmers will often trap/kill badgers as there a nuisance/pest, but then dump them by the road to make it look like a natural death, as killing them is illegal?

Was this the "real life" Midsomer murders?

Sounds like a lot of effort to go to when you can just chuck them in with the rest of the general waste and claim you ran it over in the farm if anybody questions it...

They spread TB.

...and they do smell a bit special in the spring sunshine it has to be said.

[ewenm]

Steve in Stoke said:

ewenm said:

Badger badger badger

That's ruined the afternoon for me....!!!

PoleDriver said:

[Big_Kahuna]

jdw1234 said:

They spread TB.

No they don't.

Un-proven myth spread by, guess who - farmers...

Before this starts an argument, don't be lazy, go look it up for youself.

[5paul5]

Always amazes me how 99% of dead animals on the motorway are on the hard shoulder !

[Speedracer329]

Shamu said:

I heard that farmers will often trap/kill badgers as there a nuisance/pest, but then dump them by the road to make it look like a natural death, as killing them is illegal?

I must admit the thought that badger baiters left the dead badgers to look like roadkill had occurred to me.
On the one hand i hate to see them, & the numbers seem to be on the increase, but that said it must mean they are now flourishing in the wild.

[Mazdarese]

I don't know the answer to your query, but:

How much would you have to be paid to lick the wounds of a roadkill-badger? Just out of interest.

[Greg_D]

it is cubbing season for badgers atm, hence them running around looking for food.

the ones on the side of the road are not full of shot as some people speculate, if you were disposing of an illegally shot badger, your local A road or the M6 would not be a sensible place to stop your car and chuck one out, may i suggest a lightly used back road and a drainage ditch would be more subtle dumping ground.

Badgers are mega predictable when it comes to their routes, when you are fencing across a badger run, if you put the badger gate in a foot to the left or right of the normal run, the badger won't use it and will dig their way under the fence rather than deviate 1-2feet from their 'line'. This will explain why you see lots of badgers in the same location, the main road may run across one of their runs and they are looking for food.

As for badger populations being 'healthy' you aren't kidding, there are positively millions of the little blighters. There is no way that they are endangered now.

Edited by Greg_D on Friday 4th March 15:29

[sklar]

ewenm said:

Badger badger badger

Dear god, that Weebl dood is still going. How very Web 1.0. What the hell have I done with the last 10 years of my life?!