To answer the question of who views this blog (apparently the Badger Trust can't see us 😂 here are the all time stats:
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
On When We Stop Registering Badger Deaths in Bristol.
Re the Foxes and Badgers Death Registers (now combined).
The rule we go by is that we take all dead badgers and list them up to 30/31 December. We then add any late reports but by mid-January stop since by them the data analysis etc is completed and would need to be totally re-written if even one report was added.
The fact that no one is interested in the data posted means a 1 or 2 day re-write is not worth the time and effort. How many of the 364 members have read the published badger death results or even the fox deaths results?
Most views are from outside the UK which is strange -or shows more interest in badgers outside the UK?
Sunday, 15 February 2026
Do I Use Google Maps to Plot Sett Locations?
I was asked whether I use Google maps to plot locations of badger setts as "it's an handy tool".
The answer is no. Google maps may be saved as "private" but it is far from that. Allow me to explain. When we carried out the Bristol Fox Deaths Study - https://terryhoopernaturalist.blogspot.com/2026/01/results-from-bristol-fox-deaths-and.html- we used a Google map set to private. There were just two people with access to that map and yet, in the space of two days, over 50 views were recorded.
It made no sense that a private map under the Google terms had so many views. According to Google the maps you make are private unless you share a link. We did not. Somewhere and somehow persons not allowed to view the maps were seeing them. I stopped using Google maps after an extra 25 views were recorded in one day.
As far as I am concerned animal safety is paramount. If I cannot guarantee 100% privacy on locations I am not using any internet tool. Before the internet I started out with index cards and a good quality road map top plot locations etc of other animals. I still use the map and index cards -no one sees them if I do not want them to.
If I give someone my word that a location will remain private then I stick by that. Since 1977 I have never broken that promise to anyone and I intend to keep those promises.
What happens to the information once I slip this mortal coil? I have someone to pass it all along to. Avon Wildlife Trust will certainly not get a hold of it. the Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre (BRERC) will not get them. Both organisations have been asked for assistance in the past and the Trust has failed to respond on every occasion. BRERC considers (I apologise for the ego but I need to quote others) "a noted naturalist" with n international reputation not worthy of seeing any records kept -remember that I was a UK police forces wildlife consultant from 1977-2018 and a m,ember of the Partnership Against Wildlife Crime but that, it seems is not enough to make me trustworthy.
So Index cards and map it will remain and after I am gone it is up to the successor what they do.
Thursday, 12 February 2026
Badger Deaths 2026 updated
I have just recorded the 7th and 8th (reported) badger deaths today. The latest was found in a back garden and thought to be a pet cat. One of the local Lost and Found Pets people went out with a scanner to check for a chip and saw it was a badger.
above: not a cat but a badger (c)2026 respective copyright owner
Sadly, badgers and foxes often go unreported as people assume they are pet cats. Makes no sense but that's humans.
Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Are the Animals Important or Bureaucracy?
Anything concerning the welfare of Bristol wildlife or the environment is posted publicly so that everyone can see whether I am being open or not. It also shows full responses that I receive.
"Dear Terry,
"Thank you for your further reply and for explaining more about your work and background. It’s clear that you and your colleagues have invested a great deal of time in protecting wildlife in and around Bristol, and I want to acknowledge that commitment.
"I understand your reasons for limiting the public visibility of volunteers. However, for a badger group to effectively serve the community, it does need a visible public presence with a clear remit and accessible contact details so that people know where to turn. That does not mean individual volunteers have to be publicly named. I also have lived experience of previously being a hunt sab in my own area and, alongside my role at Badger Trust, I am chair of my local badger group and a rescue coordinator, having been involved in badger rescue for over 10 years as well as training new members. I fully appreciate the need to balance volunteer safety with public accessibility.
"From Badger Trust’s perspective as a national charity, we must ensure that when we signpost the public to local help, we are doing so within a framework that provides clarity,
accountability, and agreed welfare standards. That consistency protects badgers, volunteers, and members of the public, and is a core part of our duty of care.
"As I mentioned previously, when searching online for a Bristol badger group, nothing identifiable appears in Google or other public searches. As a result, people are very likely unaware that your group exists. In the past week alone, I have had over 20 people contact me saying they want to be involved with a Bristol badger group because, after trying to find one themselves, they believed none existed, which was also my understanding based on the searches I carried out. Ultimately, we are trying to ensure that local people and badgers have the support they need, and that there is a clear and accessible route for the public to get help or become involved.
"I also need to understand how your group currently operates. For example:
Does the group hold scheduled meetings?
Does it have a committee and a constitution (governing document)?
Does it adhere to the national agreed rehabilitation protocol?
Does it have a membership scheme so that people can formally join?
"At the moment, we do not have this information, which makes it difficult for us to inform the public about your group or to consider how we might support or collaborate with you.
I should also clarify that Badger Trust is a small team of only seven employees (some part-time), so sadly we cannot personally investigate every planning application, report, or local issue ourselves. We are contacted not only by multiple badger groups (which is why my role was created a few years ago to act as their point of contact) but also by members of the public across England and Wales. That is why we put time into research, resources, and training for groups, to enable them to respond confidently in these situations. In terms of road traffic collisions, sett data, rescues, and other local badger issues, we signpost these to the relevant local group, whether affiliated or not — as we are here for badgers wherever they are. However, as I have said, there is currently no publicly available information about your group that allows us to understand what you do or how you operate.
"You can also speak to a whole host of badger groups who would be happy to share their experience of affiliation with Badger Trust and how much support we provide. This includes Devon, Somerset, and Gloucestershire, with whom I liaise regularly. These groups themselves have mentioned the need for a Bristol group, so I’m unsure where the confusion arises in this instance.
"Badger Trust is also a campaigning charity. We work both behind the scenes and publicly to represent badgers across England and Wales, influencing government policy, collaborating with other NGOs, engaging with researchers, and driving initiatives to improve badger welfare. This work complements the efforts of local groups, helping to create a safer and better-protected environment for badgers nationwide.
"I think there may also be some misunderstanding about what Badger Trust affiliation represents. The annual affiliation fee is not simply about listing contact details on a website. It supports a collaborative network in which groups receive substantial practical support. This includes bespoke online and in-person training delivered by specialists from across the country on badger ecology, rescue and rehabilitation, planning issues, and running effective volunteer groups. We provide written resources and guidance, one-to-one support tailored to each group’s needs (for example, volunteer recruitment, social media, training, or rescue resources), access to grant funding, and connection to a strong national network of groups who share knowledge and collaborate for the benefit of badgers. It is designed to be a partnership model, not a top-down structure.
"I sense that you may hold a negative view of Badger Trust, and possibly of my involvement in this situation, which I am sorry for. I want to be clear that there is no personal agenda here. Our sole aim is to help badgers and to ensure the public are informed about them and motivated to support their conservation. Badger groups across the country face many of the same challenges, whether related to running a sustainable volunteer organisation or responding to the pressures badgers face locally. I firmly believe we are stronger when we work together, even while groups remain independent, because collaboration allows us to share learning, pool expertise, and improve outcomes for badgers overall. There is a huge amount of knowledge and experience within the national network, and cooperation helps ensure that best practice spreads for the benefit of badgers everywhere. I was also sad to see comments on your blog that could be interpreted as critical of Badger Trust before we had the chance to speak directly. I feel it would have been more constructive to contact us first to clarify the situation, as there seems to be some misunderstanding about our intentions. Our aim has always been to support badgers and local groups, and open communication is the best way to resolve any concerns.
"Our intention in exploring options for Bristol is not to question your experience or to displace the work you are doing. As I said, whilst you may have had some contact with a previous member of staff, there is no information available about an actual operating badger group in Bristol anywhere. It is simply about ensuring there is sufficient visible capacity, resilience, and coordination to meet the growing demand for badger support in the area. Part of my role is to look at long-term sustainability and succession in local badger work across the country. Even where highly experienced individuals are active, a formal group structure can help provide continuity and shared responsibility over time.
"I would still welcome the opportunity to have a constructive conversation about whether there is scope for coexistence or collaboration that ultimately benefits badgers, whether through affiliation, complementary roles, or agreed approaches to public signposting and rescue coordination. Maybe that means we don’t start a new group but instead signpost people to you, but we would need to know some of the information I’ve asked about in this email above to do that. Maintaining open communication is important so that, even if we operate differently, we minimise confusion and gaps in support for the public and for badgers.
"If you are willing, I would be glad to arrange a call at a convenient time to discuss a way forward.
Kind regards,
Sally Jones
Groups Manager
My response is simple:
Hello.
We have no trouble with people in the City and County finding Bristol Badger Group. We appear on BING/MSN and we also use other social media but the easiest way people find us is via Face Book or via our rescue phone number.
I find it offensive that you appear to be wanting to belittle over 30 years work in the area and simply dismiss this as "Not Badger trust". If the Badger Trust had assisted or helped in any way over the last 30+ years rather than just saying "this is what the law says" it would have been nice. We DO NOT commercialise wildlife conservation/rescue -the animals whether foxes or badgers or otters are what is important. Pay to be part of Badger Trust is not going to happen.
It is quite clear that Badger Trust has no intention to cooperate and has proven this over the last years when Bristol Badger Group stopped the destruction and development of three historic badger territories by local authorities and developers; Badger Trust was asked about help for the legal fight but offered and did nothing. In fact I have been in communication with three people in the Bristol area who asked Badger Trust for help re setts in danger and not one of them heard a thing back and the only reason I learnt of this was because they complained that they had paid for membership to get help. They thought that Bristol Badger Group was Badger Trust. BT has all of the contact details as requested by BT in 2016, 2018, 2019 and so on. Why was your organisation not able to put those people in touch with myself? Because we are not Badger Trust?
Commercialisation of wildlife conservation and rescue is abhorrent. Badger Trust has no idea what is happening on a local level or the local conservation and protection we have been fighting for. If BT I serious about getting badgers in this area protection and help when needed then Bristol Badger Group will help.
T. Hooper
Bristol Badger Group f 1994"
End Notes
I was up until 0330 hours working on local wildlife matters and have been working on these again from 0800 hours. This is not a restricted times hobby. I do not have to ask members about taking immediate action to save wildlife or go full out and stop development of badger setts. People interested in badgers are free to ask BUT we never disclose badger sett locations as there is still a very strong badger baiting community out there as well as others interested in killing for profit.
Badger Trust wants to KNOW all the internal group workings and much much just so I can pay to be on their badger group map. Will they financially support Bristol Badger Group? No. And I reiterate that the old Avon Badger Group went defunct circa 1992 -Badger trust would not get involved in Bristol badgers back then -I had a number of phone conversations back then and in 32 years Badger Trust has NEVER lifted a finger helping or saving badgers in Bristol -that has been done by Bristol Badger Group.
Even after explaining that BBG has existed since 1994 the Badger trust is insisting that THEY are going to set up a Bristol Badger group. Using "big brother" tactics to make smaller (non profit) group cow-tow to their rules is never going to work.
Just type in Bristol Badger Group and see what happens.
Tuesday, 10 February 2026
A FEW NOTES
The fact that I am literally being told by some people to just give up my work or "carry on quietly" is very insulting and shows how backward the UK is for wildlife. There was no one dealing with badger calls in the City in 1992-1993 because the old Avon Badger Group had folded and the RSPCA were not responding.
I started setting things up and the Bristol Badger Group was formed in 1994 (officially). It has taken 32 years to build up trust with people who have regular badger visitors and to list and map out where there is badger activity and setts. We even have a qualified wildlife rescuer who can handle badgers if required.
People in the City and County are generally of the "Who gives a crap" but there are people who do care for and keep badgers safe. I had to earn their trust and here is the problem: the only person from the old Avon group is getting on in years and flatly refuses to forward information ("I will proudly take it to my grave") that will make it possible for us to protect setts,
That written, in the last five years alone I have had to advise as well as fight to stop established badger territories within the City from being destroyed ('accidentally') by developers and also land being sold off without declaration of their being badgers present. That is not a cushy 9-5 job but one that goes on day in and day out and it has gotten me a lot of negative kick back and a lot from the City Council.
A new group sets up in Bristol it will takes decades to get where BBG is today. To show that Badger Watch knows full well of the Bristol group here is a response from them on FB in 2023 (they already had my details after asking in 2015, 2017, 2018)
17/01/2023, 09:01
"Hi
Terry, thanks for your message and getting in touch. We list Badger Trust
groups on our website, who are full or associate members of Badger Trust - do
you think this in something you'd be interested in for your group? I can ask
Sally, our groups coordinator, to drop you a line. Either way please let me
know the name and any contact details for your group, so I can add it to our
contact list for badger rescues. I believe
To be listed as on the Badger trust it would cost £50 per year and inclusion on its map was it. Everything else "do what you are already doing". No support or back up. Re the "rescues for that area" -they could supply no details.
When I have asked for support in a case all I get are the same responses that they can do nothing but this is the legislation. I was involved in wildlife law and legislation since the 1970s so I know the law full well.
Here is the call by the Trust for a badger group in Bristol to prove this is a genuine thing.
The fact that they even use "Bristol Badger Group" is insulting.
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