Police target ‘barbaric’ gangs behind badger baiting in fresh crackdown

Known as badger baiting, the savage activity is just one way badgers are being persecuted in Scotland, according to experts.

Despite having been illegal for more than 170 years, badger baiting, where the animals are set to fight against one or more dogs – usually terriers – is known to have continued in a clandestine manner in the UK.

Now Operation Mele, by the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime Scotland, will attempt to put a stop to the problem, as well as other crimes involving badgers such as sett destruction and snaring.

There were more than 150 reported incidents of crime involving the protected species last year in Scotland, but experts say this was just the “tip of the iceberg”.

Ian Hutchison, Scottish badgers species protection officer and UK crime prevention head for Operation Meles, said badger baiting was often carried out by violent gangs that travel the country.

He said: “There are a number of groups that we are aware of travelling throughout the UK, some based here in Scotland. These people are criminals.

“If they are not involved in badger or wildlife offences they are the people who are going to be stealing the diesel out of the tractor and carrying out other types of rural crime.”

He said their motivation was “perverse delight” in the fight, which usually leaves the badger dead and often sees the dog seriously injured as well.

“It’s a lot more common than you would expect. We got rid of bear baiting and cock fighting. This is also illegal but it’s part of that underworld. It’s just barbaric in this day and age that we are still allowing these things to go on.”

Statistics compiled by the National Wildlife Crime Unit show between 2009 and 2010 there were reports of 153 offences against badgers in Scotland.

They included sett disturbance, such as ploughing or building over the badgers’ homes, and trapping or snaring badgers.

Operation Meles will be an intelligence-led police operation gathering evidence of badger persecution and targeting offenders.

Public meetings aimed at raising awareness of the problems will take place in Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff and Sheffield on 20 September.

Mr Hutchison added: “Badgers are not only cruelly baited but also sealed in setts and buried alive, snared, shot, poisoned and tortured, but most of these crimes go unreported.

“A new report reveals only the tip of the iceberg and we are appealing for the public as well as our own badger group members and supporters to record and report any evidence.”

Environment minister Stewart Stevenson said: “Badger persecution is wholly unacceptable in our society.

“Not only does it involve the violent killing of a protected species, specially trained domestic dogs used for badger baiting are often badly injured and their owners do not seek appropriate veterinary treatment for fear of prosecution, thus continuing the cycle of cruelty.

“Wider issues of criminality are also often linked to these offenders.”

There are plans for a pilot cull of badgers in England next spring following calls from farmers concerned about fears the animals spread bovine tuberculosis to cattle.