Our final project of the year was based on an object which we found to be of interest in Leeds City Museum. I chose the stuffed badger from the basement. Coincidentally, badger's are one of my favourite animals because of the Bodger and Badger Show I used to watch as a kid.
However, not everything about badger's is all fun and daisies. There is a darker side to their existence, which has cornered them into having to be a protected species. This is because of illegal badger culling, based on the idea that they are the cause of spreading of bovine tuberculosis, a disease that can be fatal to the economy of a farm. Farmers blame the badgers for the infection, and although there is truth in that they are something of a reservoir and carriers of the disease, it is not entirely true to say that they are to blame for the disease. In fact, there is evidence supporting the theory that it was cattle that first gave the ailment to badgers.
Regardless of the truth, when farmers find traces of badgers and foraging on their land, especially near their cattle, they are going to do something about it. And that is where I'm taking a stance on this, as though it is understandable as to why they kill them, it is in truth illegal to do so, and I want to cherish the idea of silly little badgers being innocent and mash potato-y.
As regards to research, I took a look at various online sites such as the Badger Trust and the CBAG to gather information, as well as talking to my Dad who is in the farming industry and is well versed with the situation and what the badgers mean to the farmers.
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