End the slaughter of our beautiful badgers

SOME years ago I was walking in a wood with my brother when we came across a badger caught in a snare.

The noose was round the middle of the animal’s body rather than its neck and it had obviously been trapped for some time. It was very angry and very strong and it took the two of us some time to release it.

It was a lucky badger. Every night 6,000 badger snares are set in this country and 115,000 animals have been killed since 1984. Badgers are a protected species under Irish and European law but this slaughter is being carried out legally under a derogation as part of a programme attempting to eradicate TB in cattle.