Badger Post Mortems -We Need To KNOW Why A Badger Has Died (a lot of cover up going on)

 

The fella who used to run the Avon Badger Group (ceased 1993) used to carry out his own post mortem examinations on badgers and write up reports. BRERC tell us they returned all the files (to a dead man and requested after he died!). The last surviving member of the group has told me she will "proudly" take everything to the grave with her.

So everything up until I set up BBG in 1994 is lost (or hidden at a certain centre).

I trioed repeatedly to get dead badgers necropsied (PMs) from the Bristol area but was told that "badgers cannot be post mortem examined at the pathology lab due to H&S regulations" ('fear' of bTB).

That was an out and out lie because at the same timne I was told that badgers were being necropsied there. And since.

It was a fight to get the fox necropsies and we know that ended with my being threatened with legal action( and the pathologiost personbally got a solicitor to try to close down my publishing business!) if I dared issue the final report (as was agreed on).

Natural England, Bristol University Post Mortem Services, Langford Veterinary School and others were all sent copies of the threats and actions taken against me. It was all sent agin a couple weeks later. Not even a response which very strongly suggests they approved of what was being done.,

So I was barred from ever submitting any wildlife again -even if it was a possible corpse indicating a virus opr disease. They were looking at hedgehog deaths: I was forbidden from submitting the two I had found.

They did (Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme) dance around the fact that three foxes killed by ingesting poison were down to Bristol City Council's rodenticides. But it was easy to find out.

In this type of atmosphere and institutioonalised attitude the likelihood of having badgers PM'd in the local area yet alone nationally is not likely.

Go ask the badger trust about PMs of suspicious death badgers and watch them stutter and blurt out all the copy and paste material they can find online -I asked repeatedly over the years. No idea where all their money goes.

We are literally fighting tooth and nail in this country for anything to do with surveying wildlife health -the situation is better even in Third World countries!

Dead (Known) Badger 077

 

077          Sunday 26 07 2926   27 Haviland Park, Bath BA1 4HR  Elderly male badger6kgs Chest trauma Pts rosemary Lodge vets bath

THIS Is What The UK Thinks of Wildlife

 THIS is the country we live in. A "nation of animal lovers" my ass.

Someone shot and killed a deer, fox, badger and some rabbits then threw them over a gate in Hambrook. They were caught on CCTV and police involved. I have been asked to be kept informed but wildlife crime seems to be treated as a waste of time. Every night men and women go out to shoot and kill for 'fun' and their FB groups call them "sportsmen/women".

Cats, sheep -boring night anything is a fair target. There is no reason why anyone in the UK should have a fire arm other for in enclosed shooting ranges for 'sport'

I have given up on the UK as the people in it seem set to want to kill anything wild.

Welsh Senedd Want To Cover Up Bad Farming Practices?

 Re the Welsh Senedd wanting to cull badgers now.

No, they killed off so many foxes in Wales that wildlife photographers have to come over to England to find some (that is a fact based on 50 years research)

Why not kill off all the badgers based on very bad science? The less wildlife the more houses can be built and then the farmers have nothing to blame for bad animal husbandry.

Taxidermists and Sealed Lips

 

Above a Victorian taxidermy by Rowland Ward

Here is something people need to realise.

Taxidermy is an odd hobby but without it we would have no idea what the Old types of British fox looked like.  When the bristol Fox Deaths Study was launched we would ask whether anyone could help collect and drop off. The carcasses vanished. After a while we learnt that taxidermists were reading the locations of dead foxes and goping out and grabbing them for their own use. Even though we explained the scientific importance of getting foxes that had seemingly died suspiciously, taxidermists quite literally told us where to go.

On one taxidermy group was a photo of a dead badger lying next to a car on what seemed to be a quiet country road. The poster asked whether any taxidemists were interested in buying? Someone said it would be grabbed quickly as badgers were hard to get a hold of. The person explained that 4-5 badgers a week "died on this road every every week". Now THAT is a ridiculous number. I asked what road it was as the local badger group might want to go out and check why so many were dying on the road and see what could be done. I was immediately banned from that group.

Someone on it later told me I was "booted off for asking questions". I learnt that there were fixed rates paid for anbimals and badgers "are worth a lot".  I stated that it was suspicious that so many died EVERY week. I was told "It's fine. Taxidermists are okay -the seller puts up a photo of the badger they are selling at the side of the road so it's bought as a legitimate road kill".

WHAT?!

I found similar on another taxidermy group. I asked (politely) for info and several members of the group told me to keep my nopse out of it....and I got banned.

Taxidermists are now grabbing all the shot and snared foxes they can despite the foxes declining as a specie (rare in Wales which is why photographers travel outside Wales to photograph them and even the RNIB after its mammal survey suggested foxes should be Red Listed). "Legitimately shot -no blood smears"

The person also seems to think the dead foxes can just be sent via the post. Here is the law regarding that:

No, general fresh or unpreserved dead animals are not allowed to be sent through the UK post, but specific exceptions exist for properly preserved biological specimens, dead collectable insects, or authorized veterinary samples.

£15 a fox.and despite what is written no legitimate reason to kill young foxes especially when there is species decline.

3-4 or 5-6 badgers being killed on a quiet country road at the exact same spot EVERY week/month is suspicious. The taxidermists will not report it so it can be investigated but if you see or hear of anything suspicious report it to the police and/or DEFRA as possible wildlife crime.

Badger 076 -Councils Do NOT Care

 South Gloucestershire Council has the same attitude toward wildlife as Bristol City Council. You do something that ends up killing wildlife "Who cares?"

076         Tuesday 14 07 2026 My friend described seeing a dead badger on the A38 near to Thornbury, she believes it was trying to cross the road but was blocked by huge barriers erected by the council while  they lay a new cycle path  She rang the council to complain, but was kept waiting so long she gave up

Poison Suspected? REPORT it!

 The same applies to badgers or any wilod animal

If you ever take a sick fox into a vet and it dies then let us know, If the vet says "It's been poiisoned" then tell them it is a possible wildlife crime and as its poison the fox needs to be submitted to the Wildlife Crimes Investigation Unit or, in Bristol, contact Bristol Uni Post Mortem Services and ask to submit the fox for post mortem examination (PME).

If the vet refuses here is what to bear in mind:

While a vet is generally bound by strict client confidentiality, the [Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons](https://www.rcvsknowledge.org/.../when-is-it-safe-to.../) (RCVS) explicitly allows them to bypass this rule and report concerns to the relevant authorities if they believe the wider public interest or animal welfare is severely compromised.

The illegal use of pesticides or poisons can be reported to the government's [Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme](https://www.hse.gov.uk/.../wildlife-incident...) (WIIS) on 0800 321 600.

We have had seven vets in Bristol over the past few years who have told people "Its been poisoned" and in all cases the foxes were victims of car strike.

"Poison" -report and submit. NEVER EVER state an animal has been poisoned unless you have evidence as certain symptoms often quoted as evidence of poisoning can be related to other causes of death.

Thank you and good night Vienna.

Number 75

 075 Monday 13 07 2026 Dead badger on the side of The Portbury Hundred

The term "Portbury 100" most commonly refers to the Portbury Hundred (A369), a key dual-lane highway connecting Portishead to Junction 19 of the M5 motorway near Portbury, North Somerset.

Avon Badger Group -History and Papaers GONE. What About Bristol Badger Group?

 

Anything to do with the late Mike Collins and his work while running the Avon Badger Group seem lost. Avon Wildlife Trust just don't respond and BRERC claims all the data was returned to a group that ceased before 1994 and either a dead man or...or they are lying?

No photos seem to exist of Collins and I wanted to do a detailed historical lo0ok at ABG and his work. The one remaining member I could find (in her 80s) stated she never got any papers back and she also refuses to forward what she has/knows "I shall take them proudly to my grave".......

So anything Avon Badger Group is lost or being kept locked away.

Anhy of my stuff is destinned to go (I am going to box it all up in the next few weeks) to The Extinct Fox and Wild Cat Museum as I know my family have no interrest and it would all be burnt or binned and thertefore 50 years work would be gone.

KNOWN Badger 74!

 074 Sunday 12 07 2026 dead badgerClevedon Road top of Longwood Lane.

As I've written before -it's relentless.

The Actual Number of Badger Deaths in Bristol

 I did a recent post on the Fox Project Bristol and my blog about reported so KNOWN fox deaths and what the actual total might be.

 https://terryhoopernaturalist.blogspot.com/2026/07/182-reported-dead-foxes-total-is-higher.html

 That was scary enough but then I wondered whether statistics could guestimate the actual number  of dead badgers in the City and County of Bristol (yes, for those who did not know Bristol is not just a City). So far we have had 73 reported death so ....

The actual number of badgers killed is likely much higher than 73 . Experts estimate that up to (50,000\) badgers die on UK roads yearly. Studies show that for every dead badger seen and reported 2-3 others often die nearby or off-road from their injuries. Therefore, 73 observed deaths could mean 146  to 219 actually died.

First off it used to be 100,000 then 60,000now 50,000 is the estimate. I do not believe that after the cull took 300,000 badgers that 50,000 are currently dying. The population is so low and even though no longer present in certain areas (due to the cull) that 50,000 each year would mean we have 2-3 years before badgers are extinct.

I have asked Highways England and they do not record what dead animals their teams remove from roads. A simple email reading "Orpington  23 06 2026 badger" (or "fox" could be sent. How long does that take?  But local highway authorities such as Bristol City (Green) Council's Street Clean Team will not even cooperate: they just pick up and send for incineration.

That said, sadly, a total of 146+/- would not surprise me. And remember this is just road deaths not death by rodenticide, snaring or illegal killing by local badger men and badger baiting (yes, that still goes on).

Rather like foxes and the fast decreasing UK population I think it time English badgers were moved onto the Red List as a species facing extinction. 

Injured Badger. Cooperation?

 Last night we had a report of a badger seen dragging its back legs in the Novers Hill area. Sarah Mills has searched the fields but no sign of a sett. I have appealed on Bristol FDoxes and Badgers and here for anyone who knows where a sett is but no responses.

The Novers Hill Community group my posts to have been rejected all day and neither ofd the two moderators have gotten back to me.

THIS is standard Bristol coopperation on wildlife.

The hope is that, being tough creatures, the badger just got knocked and has bruising. The other alternative is that it is lying somewhere injured (likely a garden) or is dead.

Criticise me as being "negative" as much as you want but when it is a major fight to even get a response from one person I doubt my attitude will change.

Groups representing themselves as wanting to become recognised as nature reserves should actually CARE about nature.

Which is more important: money and ego or the wildlife?

 

If people think that this is a stress-free "little hobby"n they ought to try running things, dealing with idiots and supposed badger groups that are spouting dogma and clearly have never studied badgers.

Just saying.

Ridiculous having a certain organisation trying to undermine your group on a weekly basis but this is what wildlife work has become in the UK. Less concern for wildlife and more concern about £££££ and no cooperation.

Apparently People Are Trying To Annoy BBG

 Here is one I received by accident third hand.

072           Wednesday 01 07 2026 (only rteceived report 03 07) dead badger Canford Road, Westbury-on-Trym. Reportee contacted Badger Trust who told them there was no one in Bristol.

Here is a screenshot of the post:

The absolutely galling thing is that the person posting was a member of the Bristol Foxes and Badgers Group where repeated posts have reported on dead badgers and foxes which shows group members do not read posts. 

 The other thing is the Badger Trust who know perfectly well that Bristol Badger Group has covered the area since 1995 told the reportee that there was no one in Bristol.  This is how bad wildlife organisations have become:no membership money to them then you do not exist and 😠 the wildlife.

A Strange Beast

 A "strange animal" was reported and the person had not seen anything like it. They said they would put a camera out to see if it came back. 

I waited with baited breath then came the message "We got it on camera!"

I watched the clip ...it was a badger. Told the peron who replied "I thought that badgers were huge things the size of a labrador?" 

Any... I need to cut back on the bad language.

Number of Badger Setts

 

There are now 62 confirmed badger clan areas in the City and County of Bristol. There are no doubt others but people tend to keep quiet about them. That is good until we get a situation where a sett is under threat and we have to try to protect it with no warning.

Total number of clan setts the BBG has now stopped from being developed on is over 15. Long Ashton Parish Council and Bristol City Council still refuse to respond to the presence of badgers and otters on one of its developments. This is the criminality of local authorities who cherish developers money over conservation and the environment.

Someone asked how BBG can say an area has a badger sett if it only has a report of a badger being seen? Well, unless badgers are teleporting (not had that confirmed yet🫣) a badger has to be living somewhere which by definition would be a sett. We do not draw attention to areas where badgers are seen for very obvious reasons and also if you go entering peoples gardens to check if there is a sett in it you'll either end up withy a copper feeling your collar or punch in the bracket.

The list of "where" badgers are is confidential and neither Avon Wildlife Trust nor BRERC has a copy of the list since they have been downright uncooperative over the last 30 years for reasons I cannot fathom. One other person, who I trust (very, very few of them) will get a copy of the list "in case" mortality catches up with me as there doers need to be a record for conservation and protection purposes.

I ought to point out that there are rumoured to be others but I cannot list those without confirmation and householders want to keep it a secret nothing we can do other than ask that they PLEASE let us know if they have a sett "just in case".;

Bristol City Council and Long Ashton Parish Council and South Gloucestershire Council: "We see no badgers"

 

Added another two sett locations to the ones known which takes know urban and countryside territories to over 60.

Which sounds good until you realise how many are being killed.

It should also be noted that two current sites where established setts and badger activity has been noted are still under threat: one by Bristol City Council and the other by South Gloucestershire Council. Despite the evidence both authorities claim there are no badgers present and neither will respond to correspondence on the matter.

Money and development is far more important to these people than saving/conserving a protected species. Lonmg Ashton Parish Council have repeatedly been informed of badgers and otters as well as other species in an area they cover: six emails, messages via Twitter etc -no responses.

 

They Were Scared About What Might Be Found. That is A Cover Up.

 

I had a "little whisper" from a reliable person that the reason I was lied to about badgers not undergoing post mortems due to the possibility of bovine TB was that if we submitted all the badgers recorded and each one was shown not to have bTB (it was considered "highly unlikely" that they would) it would undermine th reasons for the badger cull.

I further decided to check with the Health and Safety Executive and their rule of "no badger post mortems in the PM lab".  No such rule. Just the "natural and proper pre PM checks".

Guess what? While I was being given the "HSE will NOT allow it" crap the PM lab was undertaking badger post mortems.

The question is, and I think we have the answer now, WHAT were they trying to cover up?

The UK is an awful place for wildlife and trying to gain knowledge about wildlife health issues and treatments.

As an addenda this is what you will find online:

Badger post-mortems (necropsies) are strictly regulated to manage the severe risk of zoonotic diseases—primarily Bovine Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis). They must not be performed on standard clinical premises or by the general public; examinations are exclusively handled by specialised facilities like the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) or specific research projects

The APHA were the ones allegedly refusing permission to carry out badger PMs while authorising badger PMs -ON standard clinical premises.  The bTB excuse is a good cover.

Few People Care About Traditional Wildlife Pathways

 

Sadly, it is not rare to hear of badger runs or entrances into gardens being blocked off. If a sett was involved then we could do something but in this case if it is a private/local authority owned home the tenants can block holes in fences.  Thgis is from the BS10 area:

 "I suspect their route has been blocked but I don't know which direction they're coming from their sett. (A few years ago, when  I contacted the Badger Trust about a neighbour damaging a sett in garden, they said they knew where the main set probably was.) 

"I've had adult & young badgers coming in for years. I always leave water for them & sometimes dog biscuit left over from foxes. There was an attempt by a badger to smash through the fence on the other side of my garden at the time the badgers stopped visiting.

" Unfortunately there's only one entrance for them, which is through a tunnel under the opposite fence, which they no longer seem able to access ."

This is the UK and very few people really care about wildlife let alone about an endangered species or its right to survive on traditional clan territory that humans have built on.,