Animal hospital admits 300 badgers/year
28 October 1996
By Elizabeth St. Philip
The Badger Trust are warning British motorists to
look out for badgers crossing roads in
search of mates. About 50,000 animals - one fifth
of Britain's badger population - are killed by
speeding cars every year. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animal's West Hatch Wildlife Hospital admits up to 300 badgers suffering from
internal injuries. The NFBG wants more badger tunnels to be built under busy
roads to limit injuries.
The majority of the British
badger deaths occur in the breeding season
when the animals are in search of their
significant other. During the mating season, he
travels in search of females,
explained Dobbyn. "They are at increased odds of
being on the road and more likely to be hit by a
car," he said. Also, badgers like many other
mammals will follow ancient trails even if those
trails cross busy roads and streets, said Barry
Kent MacKay, a director of Animal Alliances of
Canada. "It is not unusual for animals to follow
a specific route that has been established for
hundred of years," he said.
To find out more about a British
project to save the badger please check out Care for
the Wild's site.
|
