How and why did badgers become a protected species in the U.K.?
Badgers have been badly persecuted in the UK for hundreds of years. In 1992 an act of parliament was introduced to protect them and their setts from harm. They have been dug-to, baited, lamped, snared and had their setts blocked (usually while they are still in them). They are officially (as voted for in a survey by the Mammal Society) one of our best loved mammals, and there are badger protection groups all over the country whose members monitor setts and badgers in an effort to protect them from persecution. There are still some scum bags who find pleasure in badger baiting though, and there have been a few successful prosecutions this year for offences commited under the adgers act. If I remember rightly, there was a high profile court case in the early 90’s, where a group of diggers filmed themselves at a sett. They were arrested and the video appeared on the national news. The public were shocked to say the least at what the men had done to the family of badgers, causing the gover
