Who goes there?

The day started much better weatherwise, though the wind was still rather fierce. In the middle of the morning Alex and I headed off to Orton Pit to finish my stonewort survey. Yesterday's rain had made the clay sticky and rather treacherous, but it was also perfect for recording all the footprints of creatures that had travelled the path before us.

We saw the delicate hoofprints of muntjac deer, the narrow dog-like prints of fox and these very clear tracks, which some may recognise as belonging to a badger. This species has a very characteristic track with a very broad pad and four toes which are approximately level. This fresh print is so clear that you can even see each long, sharp claw.

This individual must have walked some distance as the clay of Orton Pit is not suitable for sett construction. It's likely to have come either from the shelter belts along the main road at the northern end of the reserve, or a series of woodlands at the southern end, both approximately 1km away.

Badgers have undergone a population increase locally, similar to that which has occurred in many other parts of eastern England. Unfortunately their potential to act as a carrier of bovine TB, which infects herds of cattle, has vilified them amongst parts of the farming community, and pressure from that quarter has resulted in the imminent cull in Gloucestershire and Somerset, which has been widely reported in the press.

I believe that this cull is misguided and potentially harmful. Culling an established group of badgers causes instability, and allows the opportunity for occupation by young badgers from other setts. The increased mobility of individuals may indeed have the effect of spreading TB more widely, thus exacerbating the farmer's problems.