Badger dies after being caught in snare

IT WAS a sad day for carers at Secret World Wildlife Rescue, as they attended a badger found on the side of a road.

When they arrived, they discovered the creature had died after being caught in a snare which caused horrific injuries, near to a school in Locking, Weston-Super-Mare on April 28.

The carers from the centre in East Huntspill found that the badger was an adult male who would have suffered for several days until the snare severed the sternum and spinal cord causing extreme pain.

The snare was not attached to any securing line so it is assumed that the badger must have struggled free or been caught on a drag snare, which is attached to a loose log.

It was noted that this is the second of these incidents in a few months, brought to the attention of Secret World.

A female badger was found shot in March, having taken hours or days to die, which would have meant that her dependent cubs would have died too.

Pauline Kidner, founder of Secret World Wildlife Rescue, said: “Persecution of badgers has increased dramatically since the culling programmes have been rolled out.

“The badger remains a protected species and killing without a licence is illegal.

“Snares are indiscriminate and are a despicable way of trapping and injuring any animal.

“No animal deserves to suffer in this way.

“We are appealing to anyone with any knowledge of wildlife crime to report it to their Police Wildlife Liaison Officer or the National Wildlife Crime Unit.”