Here's a video from the BBC News website of Bill and MP Simon Hart being interviewed about the proposed British government badgers cull:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17193389

Good on ya Bill !! 

..a voice for the animals....

There are a number of articles today about Bill joining a protest against the British government's plans for a badger cull as a possible way to control TB in cattle.  Here are links to a few of the articles:

http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/Springwatch-presenter-lobby-Government-cull/story-15342040-detail/story.html

http://www.hsi.org/world/united_kingdom/news/releases/2012/02/badger_bern_complaint_022812.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5iGZjqsUlW86Izl3N5WbpFrAH4cdg?docId=N0784421330347275755A

The following is a cut & page of the article from the This is North Devon site:


Springwatch presenter Bill Oddie to lobby Government over badger cull

Western Morning News  Tuesday, February 28, 2012


Conservationist Bill Oddie has today accused the Government of "bloody-minded arrogance" as tensions ratcheted up over the controversial badger cull.

So far, West Somerset and West Gloucestershire are the only places in the
South West to be selected for six-week pilot scheme, although ministers say it could lead to a wider cull of the animals in TB hotspots, like parts of the Westcountry.

Mr Oddie, who has presented popular television series Springwatch, has made
no secret of his opposition to the cull, which is aimed at exploring ways of controlling TB in cattle.

But now he has joined forces with MPs and animal groups in backing a formal complaint against the British Government's proposed slaughter of badgers, claiming it contravenes the European Bern Convention on the protection of wildlife.

Mr Oddie will be at Westminster this morning with animal rights groups and MPs to demonstrate against the cull.

He said: "There is an appalling bloody-minded arrogance about the Government's decision. Opposition to the cull is not based on sentimentality, but on the fact that a great deal of thorough research suggests that it won't work."

The complaint has been submitted by animal protection charity Humane Society International (HSI) UK and comes as a new YouGov poll shows 12 per cent of the public think shooting badgers should be the Government's main focus to reduce TB in cattle.

Sixty per cent favour developing vaccines for bovine TB, while 31 per cent of people explicitly support a badger cull, the poll stated.

Mark Jones, a vet and executive director of HSI UK, called the cull a "bloody and pointless slaughter" which did not have the support of most scientists or the public.

He said: "Badgers are supposed to be a protected species, but it would appear that this Government is intent on riding rough-shod over this status.

"The Bern Convention clearly requires that controlling badgers must not result in serious disturbance to their populations. If that doesn't save these creatures against being indiscriminately shot at night to kill at least 70 per cent of them, what protection do they really have?"

The Badger Trust last night launched its legal battle to challenge the two pilot badger culls.