It’s all about to kick off again in the killing fields of the badger cull zones and it’s not like it’s been a relaxing summer what with dealing with blocked badger setts, sett-surveying, hunt exposes, snares and badger baiters. The licenses have been issued and the numbers of badgers to be killed in each zone identified. Hunts are starting to train their hounds by hunting fox cubs. But we’re ready to go and will be in the fields from this afternoon until the end of the culls, then sabbing hunts 4 or 5 times a week up until the beginning of April.

Please note that Gloucestershire Badger Office’s evening meeting points in Newent (7pm) will be up and running from tonight onwards – if you’re coming along but will be late, please let them know. If you already know where you’re heading in the zone and don’t need to meet anyone in person, there’s no need to go to the meeting point as people are needed out in the fields before dusk.

If you spot any hunts out in the Gloucestershire, Herefordshire or North Cotswold zones, please give us a shout as we may be out with the hunt or looking for them and your call could save lives: 07891 639803 or 07954 404702.

Our preparation for the culls has been intense and we could not have done it without the support of people online and in person. If you can help us out financially in the work we’ll be doing daily against the culls and hunts in the three counties, please do so by donating or sharing our latest appeal and by sharing our sabbing reports (keep an eye on the page and website).

Preparation has also helped us uncover other forms of animal abuse, for example when sabs discovered badger baiters at a sett just over a week ago. The sett is in the Gloucestershire cull zone and has been heavily targeted in the culls. Unfortunately since the sett was targeted by the baiters we haven’t seen any sign of the badgers – we’re still unsure how culls can be allowed in areas where hunts and baiters are increasing perturbation and killing badgers illegally, how the numbers of badgers to be culled are then decided (especially as the government admitted themselves that they got it so wrong in the first year!) and how badgers continue to be blamed for the spread of tb – these baiters alone ran through several fields with soil from this sett on their spades, clothes and boots. Hunts also spread biological material across land and yet they continue to go about their activities in ‘high-risk’ areas and cull zones…

Since the digging, the hole dug into the sett has been filled back in – all 5 feet deep and 4.5 feet wide of it… We’ll be keeping an eye on it!

It’s going to be an intense autumn, but we’re prepared. See you in the fields!