There was evidence by Professor Lord John Kerbs that wild badgers can become infected with the bacteria originating bovine TB, and pass this infection on to cattle. Thus, the act of abolishing badgers have been initiated, which is commonly referred as“ badger cull”. However, this phenomenon has been proved otherwise, claimed by other environmentalists that badger might not be the main culprit. Therefore, it is our responsibility to adjust our points of views as well as our actions towards the fate of this breed as well as the environment.

Okay, before we dive in, let’s go over the badger cull and its mechanism. 

1)Farmers and landowners who receive the licence will commit to killing at least 70% of the badgers on their land for six-week periods for four years in a row

2) They carry the cost of the cull, and must be able to prove that they sufficient financial means to sustain it over four years.

3) The badgers will not be trapped, but can only be shot when outside of the sett and after dark

4) Any people shooting badgers must complete a Government-appoved training course as proof of competence

5) The licence area must have hard boundaries, such as rivers, to prevent the badgers fleeing the area and spreading bTB further

6) The deaths must have occurred before February 1^st, the start of the close season for badget shooting. No shooting can take place after this time.

Much as effective as these previous policy makers claimed this enactment to be, these policies are not only inhumane but also environmentally degrading. These actions risk harming the ecosystem balance but also considered as a comparable “ genocide” action towards this breed. It is such heart-breaking news to know that about 40 million euros has been spent on badger culling alone in the UK. In addition to this, a recent article written by Damian Carrington in the Guardian has explicitly stated that “ It was wrong to blame the badgers as the main cause of the outbreaks” and suggestions possible conduit to TB transmission such as poor use of farming methods. In the article, Prof Rosie Woodroffe also asserted that that “ it is very clear that cattle are more likely to acquire TB from other cattle than from badgers”. A research done by the Randomised Badger Culling Trial(RBCT) also revealed that there were increase in TB from areas where the trail was conducted.

In light of the aforementioned points, badger cull can almost be seen as an unjust and environmental degrading action. It is high time that we adjust our perspective and take actions to prevent badger from extinction.