Friend,
This is happening right now...
Across the UK, illegal gangs are targeting badger setts during peak season, right as mothers are nursing their young. Despite being protected by law, thousands of badgers are still being dug out of their homes and killed every year.
Here’s what that actually looks like:
- Dragged from their homes: Dogs are sent underground to locate badgers, holding them in place while the ground above is torn apart.
- Forced into violent attacks: Once exposed, the badger is pulled out and attacked by multiple dogs.
- Prolonged suffering: Many suffer severe injuries before dying from blood loss or exhaustion.
- Organised cruelty: These are planned, repeated acts carried out by criminal networks.
This has been illegal for nearly 200 years.
Badgers are a protected species in the UK.
And yet, Friend, it is still happening.
Right now, during peak season, more badgers are being targeted because they are defending their young, making them easier for gangs to exploit.
Friend, will you sign now if you agree that penalties for badger baiting should match the cruelty inflicted and those responsible must face the strongest possible punishment?
Honestly, Friend? It’s horrific.
Badgers are shy, family-oriented, and spend most of their lives hidden underground. But when their homes are invaded, when dogs are forced into their setts, they have no choice but to defend themselves.
And that’s exactly what these gangs are counting on.
They exploit that instinct. They know a mother badger will fight to protect her young. They know that means a longer, more violent attack. And they use that for “sport”.
It’s prolonged, deliberate cruelty, inflicted for entertainment.
And despite everything we know… despite the laws… despite the protection on paper…
The consequences still don’t match the suffering.
Friend, I am sure you agree, that has to change.
For all animals,
Jacob Lloyd
Chief Executive
Animal Welfare Investigations Project
P.S. Friend, this cruelty is happening right now, during peak season, while badgers are protecting their young. The longer it goes unchallenged, the more animals will suffer. Sign now to demand penalties that truly reflect the brutality of badger baiting.