Soapbox: Save Me

The Save Me Trust was founded by Dr. Brian May and encompasses many aspects of wildlife conservation, protection and rescue. Brian set up the trust and has not taken a back seat. He is an active campaigner, as well as fighting against fox hunting and rescuing wildlife, he is also at the fore front of our campaign at the moment against the badger cull. 

Save Me believe the badger cull is ineffective, inhumane, uneconomical and simply will not work. The badger cull is one of the most black and white animal welfare issues in the 21st century. Sometimes, we don't like to use the words 'animal rights' as it seems to conjure up images that most people recoil from. However, over the last few years we feel that is exactly what animals do need - rights. The desperation felt by some is the constant head against a brick wall. It's shocking to think people kill animals and use them for live targets; we would hope in this century we would have evolved past this. We find it hypocritical that people will go to save tigers in India, yet in the UK are happy to kill, persecute and take to the brink of extinction much of our British wildlife.

Save Me started fighting the badger cull as soon as we read the science in the original Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT), shocked by it's findings, we went to the Government to ask them to stop the cull based on the science. Of course, there are different reasons for this cull, as our naivety in relation to the Government meant we didn't realise that policy leads science. 

We created and launched Team Badger in September 2012 and asked different groups to join us. The last 2 years have seen a big change in the public perception and understanding on the issues surrounding the badger cull. The motivation for the cull comes from number 10 and the NFU. 

We care about cattle as much as we care about badgers; bovine tb has been dropping over the last few years in cattle and attacking the wildlife reservoir is absolutely pointless. The IEP exposed the inhumaneness, the incompetence and the ineffectiveness of the cull and you would have thought that would be the end of it. However, we know it's the Governments intention to blunder on and continue culling in two areas in spite of scientists advising against it. 

Badgers have social structures and are perfect for vaccination. Their average age in the wild is 4-5 years and the badger population could be tb free in that time. The RBCT showed little movement between territories, uninfected setts remained free and over natural processes became unaffected and immune over short periods of time. In Europe, culling foxes was used to control rabies; it didnt work and contol only became effective when an oral bait vaccine was used. 

Earlier this year we launched the Badger and Cattle Vaccination Initiative (BACVI) in the House of Commons. This empowers local groups to vaccinate badgers in areas throughout the country. We are working with the Wildlife trusts, National Trusts and Councils wherever possible to increase the areas vaccinated with volunteer groups. We have won overwhelming debates in the Commons on the badger cull and have gained lots of friends there. 

Buying these badger bombs will help support cattle AND badgers in a realistic and sustainable fight against bovine tb.

Thank You,
from all at Save Me 

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