Working to prevent badger persecution in Norfolk
Betty the badger, who was looked after by the Norfolk Badger Trust - Credit: Submitted
The chairman of a Norfolk badger welfare charity has spoken about the work being carried out during lockdown and why the county has been lacking in services to protect the animals.
Formed in 2015, the Norfolk Badger Trust addressed the lack of a publicly available group in the county able to interact with the public, police and wildlife organisations in relation to badger welfare.
The trust was initially formed after chairman Luke Douglas and a friend realised there was a lack of work being taken to help combat badger persecution.
Jamey Redway and Luke Douglas of the Norfolk Badger Trust - Credit: Submitted
Mr Douglas said: "Norfolk unfortunately does still see some badger persecution so the work we do is very important to prevent, deter and detect this.
"It is also great to have land owners contact us who do not have any or just a few badgers on their land, but would like to create or enhance a more suitable environment to assist in their preservation."
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The charity currently comprises of five trustees and they met naturalist and television presenter Chris Packham at a peaceful protest against badger culling in London in 2017.
Television presenter Chris Packham with the Norfolk Badger Trust banner at a badger culling protest in London in 2017 - Credit: Norfolk Badger Trust
Despite the lockdown restrictions, the charity has been able to carry out essential work such as rescue operations and investigating suspicious circumstances.
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Funding has been hit and regular events have been cancelled, but the charity has continued to work with registered animal charities such as PACT and Wild Touch Rescue, as well as assisting Norfolk Constabulary where required.
Mr Douglas said the roads present a grave danger to badgers with the early part of the year seeing a spike road casualties.
"When crossing a road and if startled by a car they will often turn to confront the unknown danger and not move out of the way, often hit on their heads," Mr Douglas said.
Mary Goddard, a Norfolk Badger Trust trustee - Credit: Submitted
"Road casualty data is important for us to be able to monitor the population and also identify hot spots where we could perhaps put up warning signs."
The charity shared a video of a badger being released back into the wild in north Norfolk days after being hit by a car last month.
For more information on the Norfolk Badger Trust, visit https://norfolkbadgertrust.org/
