DO NOT Engage with the Badger

After all the snow it was good to get out of the sett and stretch my limbs and have a good claw scratch on the local trees.  The cubs took their first look at the sky today and are so excited to get out and about. But as soon as the heavy rain began they started to complain and rushed back into the warmth of our underground home.  Here is a picture that Chris Packham took of a badger in the snow:

Chris Packham is a true Badger Lover and many of my Human friends marched with him last year against the killing of Badgers- and Foxes too.  Here he is at a protest:

He is such a brave man to speak out for wildlife even though it sometimes gets him into trouble with the BBC.  Here he is with a Badger friend:

I only wish that more Celebrities would speak up for Badgers, especially now that matters have become so much worse. 

When my Huwoman friend Mary took me to a Badger Group meeting last week we were both struck by the big black cloud that hung over the room. (This is probably another "Metaphor" as it wasn't a real cloud of the sort that rain comes from but a cloud that makes people sad). Everyone was very unhappy and then Nikki told us that DEFRA has announced that Badger killing may be taking place in 5 more counties and 30,000 Badgers might be slaughtered this year.  Nikki was crying, Mary was crying and I was crying too for my babies.  All the other Badger loving Hupeople  in the room were sniffing too but I think they might have had colds.

Although I didn't really want to leave Brian, Blanche and Bud, I felt that I had to go down to DEFRA again to appeal to Mr Gove to stop this cruel and senseless policy.  Badgers are not responsible for Bovine TB- Cows are!  So, on Thursday I went down to London for the first time since our protest party and took up my usual position. 

 Lots of DEFRA staff were very pleased to see me back and so many of them said Hello.  One Huperson said the staff had been an instruction from DEFRA Senior Management which said, "Do not engage with the Badger".  I thought this was very funny.   Perhaps they are worried that I, Betty Badger, will show them the error of their ways or perhaps I might make the staff revolt.  I know that many of the staff are on the Badgers' side but they, too, feel powerless to act.  

One lovely thing happened.  Someone had left a beautiful red rose by the tree where I normally stand.  I am hoping it was from the man who I call Buddha who no longer works for DEFRA but was wise and kind and we had long chats about meaning and love and other stuff.  I do hope that he is happy in his new life.  Here is a picture of a rose, but the one I found was even nicer than this:

I really don't know what we Badgers and our Human and Huwoman friends can do to stop the Badger Killing but I will have a Very Hard Think this week.  Please feel free to send me your ideas.

Night Night, Betty  🐾🐾