The Good, The Bad and the Cuddly. Attenborough, Eustice and Betty

 Hello Fans,

Your favourite Badger has got so much news for you!

On Thursday we had lots of excitement and I nearly bit George Eustice SSKB, which means The Secretary of State for Killing Badgers.  We had just arrived at our Defra spot in Marsham Street and Mary was just about to get me out of my Betty Bag when a familiar face came by.  This is the face:

Mary was a bit slow reacting but then realised it was George Eustice.  He normally avoids us but Extinction Rebellion were blocking his sneaky back entrance so he had to pass by us.  The conversation Between Mary and George went:

Mary: "Oh it's you".

George Eustice: sickly smile.

Mr Eustice didn't stop to talk to Mary so she followed him 

Mary: "Why are you killing Badgers?"

Eustice:  Sickly smile

Mary, now rushing to keep up: "Why are you not vaccinating cattle?

Eustice: "We are"

Mary: "You are not. You are doing an unnecessary vaccine trial. We have the vaccine ready to use now"

Eustice: Sickly smile

Mary: "Why are you not testing cattle properly using the actiphage DIVA test?"

Eustice doesn't reply and dashes through the door to escape a very irate Mary.  Mary burst into tears in rage and frustration at this despicable man.  She was comforted by Bob the security Human, who might get into trouble for not keeping her away from the SSKB.

When Michael Gove was Secretary of State at least he had the courtesy to stop and listen to Mary and even agreed to an appointment with her.  Clearly Mr Eustice has a guilty conscience. Mary has urgently written to him explaining what he needs to do to control bovine TB and she has again asked to see him.

I only wish he'd come along five minutes later after Mary had got me out of my Betty Bag because I would have bit him.   

Mary then got me and my Badger family out of the Betty Bag and set up her signs and then Extinction rebellion came by. banging their drums and I had a lovely dance and they took my picture and video. They were very kind to us and told me I was a wonderful Badger and that cheered us up.  The police were in attendance but the Protesters were all very polite, educated older Hupeople who just want to save the world from stupid destruction.   Apparently 200 of them got arrested .  I am so glad me and Mary weren't put in jail. Here are some rebels:

Another lovely thing happened this Thursday.  Jackie from AAF who loves all animals, just like Mary, came along and joined us in our Thursday Vigil.  She really cheered us up after seeing Mr Eustice. We had a jolly chat for an hour or so and Bob the Security Human joined in.  He is Mary's big friend now and looks after me too.  Jackie talked to everybody and gave them Badger leaflets on a stick so she wouldn't spread disease  The best thing about it was that Jackie took some nice pictures and did a post on the Book of Faces later and said I was legendary.. That made me so happy .  Here are some of her pictures:

It has been a very hard few weeks for me and Mary and other Badger lovers.  Do you remember how the SSKB made an announcement in March that he would be phasing out the Badger Kill-Cull?  Well there was a leak of his proposals for this September's Kill-Cull.  Not only was he planning to double the numbers of Badgers shot but he was increasing by 11 the numbers of areas where Badgers could be killed.  And he was going to kill the Badgers who had been vaccinated.  How stupid and cruel is that?

You can imagine that there was a huge uproar in the Badger world and I know that Mary and many other compassionate Hupeople were so angry and upset that they didn't sleep and their eyes leaked a lot.  At one stage Mary asked if she could come and live with me in my earthy sett because she had enough of the world above ground that was so cruel. I told her I didn't have the energy to make the tunnels big enough for her and she should carry on being a Badger Warrior. 

So Mary spent days writing to those who might help.  She wrote to her MP Grant Shapps, twice, once asking him to arrange an appointment with Eustice; she wrote to the RSPCA; to Prof Rosie Woodroffe who runs the Zoological Society of London; to Lord Krebs; to the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation; to The Times: to The Mirror; to the BBC, Woman's Hour and the PM programme; and many more including Joanna Lumley and Sir David Attenborough

It was interesting to see who replied.  Rosie Woodroffe did; the RSPCA did, and Sir David Attenborough wrote a lovely letter with a pen and even signed it with his own paw saying that he supported Badgers and took every opportunity to speak up for us. 

World Wildlife Fund ignored us (again)- presumably we Badgers aren't sexy enough like Tigers and Elephants to try to save. We didn't hear back from the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation which includes such important Hupeople as Zac Goldsmith and Tracey Crouch who are opposed to the killing.  Oh, and we haven't been offered an appointment with Mr Eustice the SSKB.

We had lots of support from Tom Langton who took  Defra to court to try to stop the killing.  He made sure we got our facts right.  He is very very clever and was able to explain things in simple terms so that a Badger with a small brain could understand. He agreed with Mary that the way forward to stop Cow TB is to test Cows properly before they are moved and vaccinate them.  It is all so simple.  I will really never understand why Defra focuses on us Badgers when we are pretty insignificant in terms of spreading any diseases.  Still, we have always been hated, perhaps because we are wild and free and dig holes...

There is so much else to tell you.  The most important thing is that we left our temporary Downing Street post and went back to Defra at 2 Marsham Street 3 weeks ago now that workers are going back to their offices.   Oh what a welcome we got from all the Security Humen and the staff.  Everyone said, "Welcome Back Betty", "Glad to have you back" "Wonderful to see you."  We were so very touched.  Well I suppose I am a Marsham Street Institution now. It felt like coming home to our second family, although a rather strange family. Some staff didn't look too happy to see us and skulked by. I am pretty sure they were the ones in Defra planning how to kill us. Still,  I am very happy to be back in my London home.  Here it is:

One Huwoman going into Defra thought I was a Skunk.  I explained that I was a Badger and not a smelly Skunk. That's city dwellers for you!  Still, I do have to admit that after a day travelling to London and standing around in the sun Mary does have quite a pungent odour.  We can all be glad that social distancing is in force on public transport. 

Remember I told you last time how Mary caught a fox cub ?  Well she has caught another one and taken it to be treated for mange at a sanctuary.  It got sick and urinated in Mary's car so when the car gets hot that smells pretty bad; still it will keep the rats out of her car because they once got in and ate her seats and seatbelts, getting to the boot where she had her chicken food stored. The first Fox was so ill that it nearly died but it is now so much better and it has a beautiful coat again. I think I told you that Mary lives near the game keeper who kills a lot of wildlife.  He recently shot the cubs' mother; she is the one with the tail like a poodle I showed you pictures of.  So when the cubs are better, Mary will release them to an area where they don't have a game keeper. Here is the second cub in the trap.  Soon it will be free and fairly safe. 

And now an update on the Chickens. Margot and Barbara, refugees from Finsbury Park, are now settling in well. We realised that Margot has a problem with her eyes so Mary gives her lots of care and support.  Barbara has started to revert to her Jungle Fowl origins and rather than going to bed in a coop, she climbs up a tall pear tree to go to sleep.  We watched her climb and thought she would fall down as it is very hard to climb a tree if you haven't got paws or hands. She is a remarkable chicken.  This is Barbara:

I have to make a confession.  I did write this blog more than a week ago and it had lots of news and pictures but then I pressed button and lost it.  That will teach me for showing you a picture last time of me working on Mary's computer.  I have ideas above my species.  Still, I can dig holes better than you....

Some other good news.  Jane Goodhall, from Born Free who is a world expert on Animals, especially Chimpanzees, has written a letter to Boris Johnson along with lots of other important clever Hupeople asking him not to go ahead with the Badger Kill-Cull.  I am sure that Carrie Symonds is having a words with Boris about it too. All this uproar about the irrationality and cruelty of wanting to shoot 65.000 badgers in the next six weeks has certainly delayed the formal announcement, but we know that cruel Hupeople have already put out traps and are shooting us illegally, probably sanctioned by Defra.  We need to tell the Police. As Mary often says, quoting Edmund Burke (reputedly) "All it takes for Evil to thrive is for good Hupeole to do nothing".  It is good that some Hupeople are doing something , but I hope that every Huperson that reads this will contact their MP immediately and tell their friends to do the same and say Vaccinate Cows, and stop killing Badgers because they are innocent.

I have a big Anniversary to celebrate.  It is now three years since I was introduced to Mary by Heather.  Before that, Mary used to hang around Downing Street on her own and when we met, we formed a real bond and agreed to do a Thursday Vigil together.  We have have had so many adventures together as well as supporting each other through the highs and lows of life. Perhaps in my next Blog I might do a blog full of our memories.  Even her cat Lola likes me:

Autumn is coming and it is a busy time for Badgers.  We are collecting lots of lovely dry grass and clearing out our setts ready for winter. We will be snug and warm, and reasonably safe under the ground.   Mary took this picture today of the straw in the field next to her house after the harvest.  She thinks they roll around at night when the Hupeople are asleep in their beds....she's right! 

Summer has gone so quickly. 

I will finish now with a picture of the Chickens because that always cheers us up.   We have had a lot of thunderstorms recently and this is a picture of the Chickens drying off after a thunderstorm. 

Night Night.

Love from Betty 🐾🐾🐾