Life and Death in Badger World.... And the General Election

Hello Betty Fans. 
Today we met  Sue Hayman outside Defra Nobel House. She is a Huwoman MP, but more importantly, she is the Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.  That means she keeps an eye on Theresa Villiers and George Eustice;  more of him later.... Anyway Sue Hayman likes Badgers and she wants the Kill-Cull to stop.  She had her picture taken with me so she will be famous now,,,  I told her that Defra had killed 130,000 Badgers and said I would help her in any way I could to stop the killing.  Here is a picture of her so you can see what she looks like:

The Hupeople are having a General Election soon. That means you vote and decide who runs the country and makes the rules.   Mary says that you have a democracy but that is not the same as a referendum.  In a referendum the result can be ignored, like the vote for Brexit, whereas in a democracy in the UK even if one party doesn't get most of the votes they can still run the country.  I find it very confusing.   Life is much simpler for Badgers, except we are hated and get shot. 

Sue Hayman is a Labour MP. Mary says that if we want to stop the Badger Kill-Cull then we have to vote Labour .  Mary is normally a floating voter but she is very clear who has to win to save the lives of Badgers, Foxes and other wildlife the Conservatories enjoy killing. 

I have more good news.  I have decided to have some more Cubs and Bertie Badger has been helping me.  I know I am quite old to be a mother again but we Badgers have to do something to replace the 130,000 Badgers the Conservatory Government has killed.  And a Badger has needs....So I am having a bit of a fling with Bertie and were are both enjoying the slap and tickle.  You might remember Bertie from the pictures of us having an intimate meal outside outside Defra in Marsham Street.  We were eating the world cake together left on the table by Extinction Rebellion when they were protesting.  Here we are whispering sweet nothings and eating cake.

I have even more good news. In some areas the Badger Kill-cull has come to an end for this year and Badger families in those areas can breathe a sigh of relief and  quietly mourn their lost loved ones.   However in three areas in Somerset, Gloucestershire and North Dorset the killing continues and will continue until 64,400 badgers die this Autumn. It breaks my heart.  Even worse, Mary showed me a picture of some Badgers after they had been shot.  They were bagged, binned an burned.  Mary's eyes leaked again when she saw this very sad picture of my friends in bags:

Mary has asked Defra if those Badgers were tested for Bovine TB before they were burned.  We are waiting for their reply.  I think they burned the bodies quickly to prevent testing because so few of them will have had TB.  Last time they tested Badger bodies in a High Risk area, fewer than 3% of Badgers had TB which they probably caught from Cow slurry and there is no evidence that Badgers spread TB to Cows.  

Last Thursday we all got very very wet.  Bob the security man told us to go home or we would catch our Death... but we didn't go home and I don't know if we caught Death because I don't know what Death looks other than bullet holes and I don't think rain gives you those.  Mary squeezed the Cubs out as if they were wet washing.  We were all so heavy with rain that Mary could hardly carry us up the 80 steps at Finsbury Park and the other 85 steps at her home station.  We thought she would have a heart attack.  Her red Betty Bag leaked all over the train- it was like a river running down the carriage. When we got in Mary had hot shower and we all went in the washing machine and dried out on the radiators (again!) .  We are all lovely and clean now and smell of Lavender.  One of our fans at Defra today said how sparkling clean we looked.  

In the many years me and Mary have been fighting the Badger Kill-Cull we have never brought politics into the issue.  This shouldn't be a matter of politics but a matter of science and compassion.  We have always been courteous in our dealings with politicians and visited the Conservatory Party Conference 4 times where we have  been polite and friendly.  But having seen George Eustice in action in Parliamentary debates, distorting statistics and bringing in back benchers to win votes, completely ignoring the facts given by other political parties we think it is time to take sides with the politicians who might stop the killing.  So here I am with a new sign.

Mary and I are on the third year of our Defra vigil together.  She really needs a new Betty Bag, which will be our third.   We always buy the same one because it is very light so she can carry me and lots of cubs.  But Mary is refusing to buy a third bag even though it is full of holes because it might suggest that she believes the Kill-Cull will go ahead next year and she will need to come to Defra with me for yet another year.  That feels like defeatism.  Here is me in the Betty Bag in better days..

The nights are beginning to get cold now so we cleared out our setts and filled them with new dry grass to keep us snug thought the winter.  When Mary wasn't looking I stole some of the Chickens' straw as it was lovely and dry. I have put extra layers to keep my home even more cosy than ever in case we have the patter of tiny paws in a few months. On which subject, I had better get back to Bertie. We have work to do.... 

Night Night!

Betty ⇹⇩🐾🐾🐾🐾

Betty gets Arrested...nearly. And is Theresa Villiers locked in a Cupboard?

Hello Betty Fans.
I could be in prison now if some of our lovely Defra friends hadn't told the police that I was a good Badger who wasn't going to cause any trouble.

My adventure on Thursday began in Smith Square where they have put up security barriers and had been besieged by Extinction Rebellion for three days.  Everyone was nervous that they would come back and glue themselves to something. They were spoilsports and wouldn't let me hang my signs on their barriers, but I did enjoy hanging them on some nice bits of wood and the cubs enjoyed climbing them.

Once we arrived to spend our next hour at Great Peter Street the police immediately approached me and Mary and told us to go away.  Mary said she was not going to move.  The police said they would have to arrest us because there was a Section 14 notice which meant that the only place anyone could protest for two weeks was Trafalgar Square. Mary said she always came here on Thursdays and wasn't going to cause problems. One senior policeman said I was "a magnet for trouble"! Me Betty Badger?! Mary started crying (I think it was with rage and despair) .  Then a lovely Huwoman from Defra told the police officer that I was a peace-loving Institution and never caused trouble.  So the policeman let us stay.

After the police officers saw how many Hupeople came to chat with us and we didn't shout at them or bite them, they became very friendly and they wanted to know all about Badgers and the Kill-Cull and what we like eating and how we live in our setts.   These are our favourite food ...

Once we went to Marsham Street for our next hour we had the same problem with a police officer who was not at all happy to see me,  He told me to go away and once again we said we always stood here on Thursdays and had to stay for the sake of the Badgers who were being killed.  He then threatened to arrest me.  Mary was worried about the Chickens not being put away and being eaten by foxes if we were arrested and also she didn't have her contact lens case with her....  I was worried about going hungry because they might not have worms in prison.  Once again the loyal staff at Marsham Street came to our aid and told the police to let me stay.  Isn't it wonderful how kind these Hupeople are?  Anyway the police officer had a discussion on his radio and the Chief Constable of the Metropolitan Police gave me a special dispensation to stay.!!!  

But we did promise not to come next Thursday and be a magnet for trouble again, so instead Mary is going to talk to a school in Tring about Badgers and Animal Rights.  We never rest... So don't expect to see us on 17th.

I understand why the police officers where unhappy and worried about me because the previous day Marsham Street was closed by campers in tents and doing all sorts of things like singing and dancing and drinking tea. 

Mary tells me that I have to mention some stuff about the Badger Kill-Cull which I know will make us all sad, but you can't eat eggs without cracking shells.  There has been all sorts of publicity about Badgers this week, the most important being a report by the RSPCA called "Not everything is black and white" which says that killing Badgers is just a distraction from actually dealing with the problem of Bovine TB. They agree with Mary and most experts agree that we are hardly significant in the spread of bTB and that it is all down to Biosecurty.  

Did you know for example that there are 1.7 Million cattle movement in England every year and since the TB test is really unreliable, this means that tens or even hundreds of thousands of cows are being moved around the country who might have TB ... an they blame Badgers!!!


There is also a consultation document which Mary has done but I hope you 
will complete it too.  Here is the link.
 RSPCA report and Consultation document

Mary thinks Theresa Villiers, the Secretary of State at Defra, is locked in a cupboard and they won't let her out unless she promises not to talk about Badgers. 


Mary has written to Ms Villiers but never gets a reply and NOR DOES ANYONE ELSE!  One of Mary's friends tried to see her at her constituency office about something else but was told that she couldn't talk about anything covered by Defra.  That seems odd because Mary's MP Grant Shapps is happy to talk about anything.  Ms Villiers has refused to see Mary for an appointment, even though Mr Gove was happy to see her. 

Worse, when Mary was expecting to get a letter from Mrs Villiers she got one from George Eustice instead who also refused to see her and said he fully intends to keep killing Badgers until 2026 at least.  I think I will die of despair.  And do you know, Mr George Eustice has the nerve to say hello and wave to me and Mary on Thursdays when he pops out for his lunch? I hope he gets eaten by Worms from the inside and knows it is happening...  

There is so much in the news about Badgers this week.  Some saying that TB is going up since they started killing Badgers, some say that TB was going down in some areas, some say that TB is spreading since they started killing us,   The truth is that everyone wants to believe what they want to believe, BUT the RSPCA and the government's own independent adviser Professor Godfray said the Government should focus on biosecurity and that it would be cheaper and more effective to vaccinate us rather than to kill us. 

Why is the government not listening to the RSPCA and even its own experts?  I think we should be told. And Mary wants to know what has happened to the £20 million the government agreed to spend on a Cow vaccine.

Anyway, please keep writing to Theresa Villiers to see if they have let her out to reply.  Also Zac Goldsmith from Defra isn't replying too because he doesn't want the Kill-Cull to happen, so they have probably put him in the cupboard with Ms Villiers, or kidnapped their loved ones and will chop off their ears if they say anything about not supporting killing Badgers.  .  Who is pulling all the strings at Defra so that Badgers continue to die when we are not to blame?

End of ranting.   But I want to leave you with this picture taken by someone in the Kill-Cull zones this week.  They are shooting us and then dumping our bodies in piles and leaving us to get maggots until they can be bothered to collect our precious bodies. Thank heavens for the good Wildlife Warriors who are trying to save us so that 64,000 of us will not die this Autumn. 

Badgers are Innocent victims of  cruel injustice and bad farming practices.  While your read this, Badgers are dying.  Hundreds every day.  Please do what you can to stop it.

Night Night,
Betty
🐾🐾🐾

Betty in Man Chester to See Boris

Hello Betty Fans. Have I got news for you!
Although Mary needed a rest for her 65th Birthday, now she is very old, I nagged her to go to the Conservatory Party conference in Man Chester. I so wanted to go on the Badger shaped Virgin train again.

Mary moaned a lot because she had to get up at 3.30 but I am nocturnal so it wasn't a problem for me.  A nice Hungarian taxi driver drove us to the station and spoke about his anxieties over Brexit . He doesn't know what the future holds for him and his home and his cubs who go to school in the UK..

We got to Euston and I was so excited and asked Mary to keep me poking out of the Betty Bag so I could watch all the goings on.  In the picture you will see Mary's coffee cup, the only thing that helped her to be Human.

Mary was quite worried about Conservatory Members' reaction to Badgers so put me in the luggage rack out of harm's way.  

 
 Once we realised that I was safe, I enjoyed the journey in our reserved seat.

We arrived in Man Chester and here is a picture to prove we went.  

Man Chester is noisy and busy and I was scared...  especially of the big red metal boxes on wheels...

Man Chester has lots of interesting people and I met a Tree protesting against a train called HS2 and he was kind enough to let me sharpen my claws on him:

 I also met his friend the white elephant

The atmosphere was not as good as at previous Conferences; the police were tense and less chatty.   

The Hupeople protesting against something called Universal Credit were there and very angry.  One of them dressed up as Death with Boris Johnson's face:

We met a lovely Human called Mr Brock, although he didn't look like a Badger.  He brought along his own leaflets about the  Badger Kill-Cull and kept us company. 

The best thing about my day was when Mr Brock recited us a poem about Badgers by Mr Ted Hughes from a book for Cubs called called What is Truth which made Mary cry and me proud.  These are the words :

The Badger in the spinney is the true king of this land.
All creatures are his tenants, though not all understand.

Didicoi red and roe-deer, gypsy foxes, romany otters-
They squabble about their boundaries, but all of them are squatters.

Even the grandest farm-house, what is it but a camp
In the land where the singing Badger walks the woods with his hooded lamp?

A farmer’s but a blowing seed with a flower of crops and herds.
His tractors and his combines are as airy as his words.

But the Badger’s fort was dug when the whole land was one oak.
His face is his ancient coat of arms, and he wears the same grey cloak

As if time had not passed at all, as if there were no such thing,

As if there were only the one night-kingdom and its Badger King. 

It is the best poem I have ever heard and it is true.  We Badgers have roamed the earth since the Ice age and we haven't changed since then because we were made perfect...

We met some of the eccentric characters we have met in previous years such as the man with the dog.  This year the dog had a message about Brexit. 

I got quite bored and found a way of amusing myself.  There was a little box with a green and a red man in it which made a noise when I pressed it.  I had hours of fun until Mary shouted at me and said it was giving her a headache.  I think she was just dehydrated. 

We stood outside the conference centre for 9 hours and we were very very tired. But we think it was worth it. This year we had lot more support from the Conservatory Party members and several told us who to talk to in government to get our message across.  Mary had tweeted her MP grant Shapps ,as I told you last blog, and he tried to sneak past without us seeing him.  But we grabbed him. He didn't persuade Mrs Villiers to talk to us but me and Mary have a plan........

We also met an important person from the RSPCA, a Human from League against Cruel Sports and we met a big mate of Boris's dad and they all promised to speak to Mrs Villiers and/or Boris. We we left feeling slightly hopeful. 

We saw some of our Defra friends who were very surprised to see Betty so far from home.  They were very welcoming. I have made lots of friends in the last two years, but I would really like to stay at home snug and warm with my cubs but me and Mary can't do that until the Kill-Cull ends. , 

Unfortunately it began to rain very heavily and me and Mary got wet and miserable. Her bag was so very heavy with me in it as I double in weight when I am wet.

I got so wet that Mary dried us off at the station under a noisy heat machine designed for drying hands.  It worked a treat..

We went back on the Virgin First Class and here is the evidence:

The best thing about First Class is that they give you free food and drink.  So I helped myself to a couple of fizzy drinks that made me feel whoosy .  They were called Gin and Tonic and had bits of cold glass in them. 

It was a very long day and we were both exhausted.  It also cost Mary lots and lots of money to take the train but I said she should think of it as a birthday present to herself. She lost her pendant outside the conference.  That made her feel a bit sad as she wears it all the time, except when she is asleep because it is lethal and might pierce her windpipe.  . Someone in Man Chester will be enjoying it. 

On Tuesday I had a nice sleep while Mary got ready to give a talk to the local Badger Group.   It was called "The Adventures of Betty Badger" and was great because it had lots of pictures of me in it.

Then on Thursday we were back at Defra when we  saw lots of our fans. who said "Hello Betty".  And we had a big surprise when the lovely security man gave Mary a birthday card. Another lovely Human gave us a cup of tea because it was such a cold day.  I will want to be hibernating soon.

It is exactly two years since I first met Mary and started writing this blog.  We are now starting our third year together.  We have both become older and more tired, but we are not going anywhere until the Kill-Cull ends.  Please help to make it soon by talking to your MP and other Hupeople who have the power to make these decisions.

That's all for now as we need to catch up on our sleep after such an exciting week. 

Love and Night Night,

Betty 🐾🐾🐾