West Wales Badger Group

Traditionally some country people thought that they should control Badgers by whatever means they thought was their right to do so. This inevitably meant extreme cruelty was perpetrated upon the Badger population.

Cruelty as shown in these photographs was carried out on a regular basis throughout the country. It was accepted as nothing more than pleasurable social event for a Summer evening or a bit of weekend entertainment.

What should be remembered is that the generation within these photographs is very recent, probably somebodies grandparents.

These photographs show that it is very easy for ordinary people to easily accept extreme acts of torture upon innocent animals through ignorent prejudice.

Whole family groups took part in the barbaric practice of Badger digging, followed by horrendous cruelty and slaughter.

The whole thing was treated as a form of light entertainment, notice the smiling woman carrying her handbag.

Dogs were sent down the sett after it had been dug open to get to the Badgers. A pair of Badger tongs ready to hold a struggling Badger.

Tongs bit hard into the skin of a Badger to hold it's frenzied struggles as it is hauled from the sett. The dog has it's jaws firmly clamped on the Badgers nose. The torture begins.

Badger tongs. It is illegal to be found carrying or in possesion of tongs. They can be used for only one thing, capturing Badgers.

Cubs were not immune to the extreme cruelty. They were used simply for practice. Dogs were allowed to worry and tear at the cubs to get their taste in for Badgers.

Held down by the thugs foot, a cub enters many minutes of horrendous torture as the terrier starts biting it.

Tortured by three terriers would still not assure the cub a swift death, instead many minutes of horrendous pain.

The majority of people today would be sickened by such brutality. Yet there are still individuals who think nothing of practicing this kind of sick activity.

Remember if you suspect any kind of activity going on around Badger setts call the police. It is a criminal offence for anyone to interfere with a badger sett in any way.