The badger’s plea

A plea for badgers by Ian Wood

Beneath the ancient oaks they roam, in dappled shade, their quiet home. By moonlight’s glow, they weave and play, yet now their kind fades fast away.
A quarter of a million souls have bled, for fear and folly, cold and bred.
Blamed for a blight they did not spread, marked for death where science pled.
The rifle cracks, the bodies fall, a crime against the wild, against us all.
A species sacred, fierce and free, reduced to ghosts in memory.
Yet proof stands firm, no guilt to bear, the trials tell, the studies swear.
No justice found in senseless death, no healing from a stolen breath.
On Britain’s hills, on England’s land, once rich with life by nature’s hand,
Will you not rise, will you not fight ? To save the badger from the night ?
Not one more mother left to grieve, not one more sett left bare to leave.
Let mercy guide, let wisdom lead, let kindness root so no more may bleed.
The cull must end, the wounds must close, before the last of them – heaven knows – fades from the fields they’ve always known, and England stands ashamed, alone.

There is now a window of opportunity. The badger cull is halted in England every year from 31st Jan until 1st June. This sounds positive as it gives them a chance to breed. But when the cubs emerge they will almost certainly be shot in areas of England where the culling continues. Please join the badger trust and let’s finally end this wildlife crime.

There’s more information about the badger cull and ways you can help here.