Badgered to Death: The People and Politics of the Badger Cull: Introduction by Chris Packham

A vital read for anyone who cares about the future of British wildlife. With a foreword by the BBC TV presenter Chris Packham.A thriller whodunnit and impassioned polemic. – PATRICK BARKHAM THE GUARDIAN Dominic Dyer explores the science and electioneering behind Britains most controversial wildlife policy: the badger cull. He exposes the catastrophic handling of bovine TB by the British government the political manoeuvring that engineered the badger cull in 2010 and the ongoing close relationship in perpetuating the cull between the National Farmers Union and the Department of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). He shines an unflattering spotlight on Cabinet ministers the veterinary profession environmental NGOs and the BBC.ReviewsI enjoyed reading this book and I strongly recommend it to you. This is a powerful and stimulating read and its bang up to date with the important issue it discusses. It is written by a passionate insider with years of experience. The narrative is pacey and exciting. This book arrived with me on Thursday afternoon and I had read it completely by early yesterday [Saturday] morning. – MARK AVERY WRITER BLOGGER AND ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGNERA vital must-read for anyone concerned about the badgers enduring place in the British countryside.A thriller whodunnit and impassioned polemic this is the inside story of the badger cull. – PATRICK BARKHAM THE GUARDIAN It should be read by all those battling against government policies that put money ahead of science and the environment. The books conclusion is that the culls will be stopped not by science or validity but by cost. Yet Dyer remains optimistic: Despite all the incompetence negligence and deceit its the caring compassionate British public who have made a stand for wildlife that gives me the most hope for the future. His book pays tribute to the Badger Army those many individuals from all walks of life who turned out to protest and importantly once culling started to protect the badgers out in the field. Those people will be patrolling the countryside day and night in every area where badger killing is taking place this autumn. While determined to protect their badgers many also want to see the government help and support farmers to beat the TB in their cattle - but with proper cattle-based measures not by senselessly killing wildlife. – LESLEY DOCKSEY THE ECOLOGIST Why are our badgers Badgered to Death? Introduction by Chris PackhamHow viciously fickle we are. We arbitrarily pick and choose which species we like or dislike normally and sadly based on purely anthropomorphic criteria and then either laud or loathe them paying scant attention to the realities of their lives or ours. And once cursed and demonised that tag is almost impossible to redress. Think rat think fox… damned for historical crimes firmly fixed as malevolent vermin even in our supposedly enlightened age. But as this book displays we can also be quick to destroy the reputation of our animal heroes and blight their status with bigotry and ignorance.For many reasons we had come to love the badger to cherish and admire it to protect and celebrate it and of course many still do. But the reputation of this essential member of the UK’s ecology has been targeted by a smear campaign which has been swallowed by the gullible and fuelled by those with vested interests. You see in spite of all the science and all the truths that it outlines the badger has become a scapegoat. Its been branded a ‘bad guy’ and is being persecuted as such. It’s a terrible shame but like I said how fickle how vicious how predictably human. Buy the book and carry on reading Chris Packhams introduction