Some local people are out trying to stop the cull. Others are landowners incensed by shooters on their land. Many are pro-cull and trying to shoot badgers. Most just happen to live in the zone and want a quiet life. Do not assume anything and be mindful of the fact that 10 people dressed in black in a village centre might be perceived as intimidating to some people who live there.
Please be polite and you may find that those people actually support us. There are some highly fanciful tall stories which get exaggerated with the telling concerning the antics of those who are protecting badgers. Our aim is to stop the cull, not to annoy local people. In fact those local people are the ones who will tell us what is happening in that area before, during and after the cull when most of us are not there.
Please be mindful of how noise carries and disturbs wildlife as well as people and be mindful of how some of us live in these communities and have to live in them long after others have gone home. Local sabs/monitors and other activists are out all year in cull zones and use the same shops, schools and other amenities as cullers as well as living in the same communities. Especially if you don’t know who lives in the area, be careful of where your torch light is pointing as we don’t want to be accused of shining torches through windows! All in all if you wouldn’t do it where you live because you don’t want the repercussions, then be mindful on how your actions may impact on the lives of others.
We also attend MAG meetings (Multi Agency Group) organised by Operation Themis with local communities along with other badger protection groups and the opposition. We have as a result laid many fallacies about those protecting badgers to rest.