THE RSPCA has been criticised over a lack of action over a suspected badger poisoning case in a Teesdale village.
Cotherstone’s Yvonne Butterfield, who took photos of a dead badger with poison at the head of a sett back in May, believes someone was trying to “wipe out” the badger family.
But she says a subsequent RSPCA investigation has not yet yielded any information or led to any action being taken.
With foul play suspected as a factor in the badger’s demise, Ms Butterfield said she was shocked and upset that nothing had come of the investigation.
She added: “It’s very disappointing that people have not been called to account for this.
“Badgers mean a lot to the people around here and a lot of people spend time with friends and family enjoying the wildlife.
“It’s a cruel, unnecessary waste of a life and the animals have suffered terrible pain needlessly.”
The RSPCA were unavailable for comment.
The incident was not part of a government cull, a programme which the RSPCA remains opposed to.
Sergeant Simon Rogers said the incident was not logged by Durham Police and the RSPCA was left to deal with the investigation. Ms Butterfield, a private healthcare nurse who has lived in Cotherstone for 18 years, was full of praise for the healthy relationship the village had with the farming community.
The mother of two said: “Thankfully we don’t have these sorts of incidents around here very often. The farmers around here are really great and take good care of the wildlife. I just hope that the party responsible will feel ashamed when they see this.”
Ms Butterfield’s neighbour Sam Forsyth was the first person to spot the dead badger.
“We had been watching the badger sett for several years and had quite an attachment to the family,” he said.
“I remember seeing a head poking out a hole and it was clearly dead.
“It was great to have wild mammals living so close and then suddenly one person has decided to wipe them out. It is illegal and unnecessary.”
The film-maker and father of three said a stronger response would help reduce future poisonings.
“It is important to let these people know that the issue has been clocked,” he added.
“I know badgers can be aggressive at times but I had hoped this investigation would bring about some closure.”
Chief executive of the Badger Trust Dominic Dyer said the badger death was indicative of a growing problem.
“The coverage of badgers in certain sections of the media has not been very positive due to their association with TB.
“We are seeing an increase in incidents like this one – we take badger deaths very seriously and hope to see more prosecutions,” Mr Dryer said.
Badger culling remains a divisive topic both nationally and in Teesdale due to the mammal’s association with the spread of bovine TB.
The government has undertaken culls in the south-west of England this year but no culls have yet taken place in Teesdale.
The National Farming Union has said the spread of TB through badgers remains a threat to the livelihoods of farmers.
Lee Perry from the NFU said: “While we cannot speculate on how this incident might have happened, this is a regrettable situation and we would urge anyone with information to contact the RSPCA.”
Source: Teeside Mercury
