GBG News Archive 2005

RACECOURSE CONDEMNS WIRE TRAPS
Chepstow racecourse management has condemned snares on its land after two dogs became 
trapped in wire nooses.

The second incident happened within days of last week’s Free Press article drawing attention 
to the plight of a dog trapped in a snare in woodland to the rear of Chepstow racecourse.

The Gwent Badger Group (GBG), Police and RSPCA have joined forces in an effort to safeguard                                
both domestic pets and wildlife in the popular local beauty spot.

Steve Clark of GBG was asked to check the second incident after receiving a call from a local 
RSPCA inspector. “Initially I though the RSPCA Officer was discussing the earlier case.” said 
Steve “To my horror I realised that she was asking me to investigate a fresh incident.”

Luckily the second dog, like the first, managed to escape uninjured. “It will only be a matter of 
time before an animal suffers fatal injuries\in one of these lethal traps” commented Steve.

After meeting with the owner of the dog, Steve contacted a regional Wildlife Crime Officer in 
an effort to protect animals in the vicinity.

Chepstow racecourse management responded positively to the appeal. While they admit to 
allowing rabbit numbers to be controlled, they utterly condemn the use of snares and similar 
traps on their land and have never endorsed these devices as control measures.

“It’s encouraging to know that the land owner is as keen as we are to protect animals and 
maintain a safe snare free zone for both domestic pets and wildlife,” added Steve.

Within a week six wire nooses have been removed from the locality and the GBG will continue 
to monitor the area until they are confident all the traps have been removed.

“I hope that these recent cases have made those who set these traps think again about their 
actions” continued Steve. “With continued vigilance and public support we will fight to ensure 
that these deadly devices are banned from our countryside.”

More Snares Hit Gwent Area
Pet owners terrified as dog is caught in trap

Dog owners in the Chepstow area are being warned to keep close control of their 
dogs following the snaring of a terrier on a popular local footpath.A member of 
the public contacted Chepstow police after her dog became trapped in a snare in 
the woodland leading to Piercefield Park behind Chepstow Racecourse.


The dog, a small terrier, which became caught around the neck by the wire noose
was lucky to escape uninjured.


The Police contacted Steve Clark (GBG), as it was known that badgers were active 
in the area where the snaring had taken place.


“This terrier was extremely lucky,” said Steve. “The snare in question was a 
home made device that consisted of a fine wire noose. The dog sat still until 
the owner was able to locate it, if it had struggled the wire would have cut 
into its neck and severed the dog’s windpipe.”

On visiting the area with the dog owner a further two snares were discovered, 
both set with total disregard for animal welfare.

“These traps were set at a low level in areas of dense undergrowth and would be 
lethal to any animal moving through,” continued Steve. “The setting of snares 
in an area inhabited by protected species,

such as badgers, constitutes an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 
of 1981 and carries a penalty of up to a six month jail sentence and fines of 
up to £5,000”

The GBG recently released a badger back to the wild after nine weeks of 
intensive nursing following a snaring incident that was highlighted by the 
Press.

“I estimate the cost of nursing this badger back to health at close to £1,000, 
dog owners could be faced with similar bills due to actions as irresponsible 
as this” continued Steve.

Despite the increasing number of non-target species such as domestic pets and 
protected wildlife being killed by snares, the local MP David Davies has refused 
to sign an Early Day Motion banning their manufacture and use.

Whilst our MP tries to justify the use of these lethal devices under the excuse 
of vermin control, he seems ignorant of the fact that a study showed nearly 
50% of the animals trapped or killed by snares were non-target species” said 
Steve.

Following the report of the snared badger the GBG received a huge response from 
the public giving names and locations of individuals setting snares. Steve 
added:“This problem is more widespread than we first believed.

We ask the public to be vigilant and alert us to any further incidents”
 
This lethal homemade snare made from a cutting ultra thin wire trapped a dog

Note: since this report was submitted another dog has been trapped in the same
           area with the same type of snare

                            

Gabi the Bat Update from Erica Colkett
Update 1, 5th August 2005

My first estimate on her age may have been a bit optimistic, she has just in the last day or so started flapping her wings, this would put her at about 3 weeks old (as of now) so she wouldhave been about 2 weeks when I first examined her.

She is eating really well and her personality is starting to show itself. She is a very friendly and strong-willed little bat. Both characteristics which helped her survive so far.

She is putting weight, and now weighs nearly 3 grams. That is an increase of 20% in 5 days!

She feeds every 4-5 hours now and I have started to wean her onto solids. She is quickly getting used to using her little teeth. We should see her putting on weight more quickly now. As you can see from the photographs, she is looking a lot healthier. You can see the fluffy baby fur - she will moult this and grow adult fur in a few weeks time.

At the moment, she is a scruffy little fur-ball. Unfortunately for hand-reared bats, the milk sticks in the fur around the face and on the belly and makes the fur all clumpy and horrible. (see the fur on the chin). By the time she is eating solids she will moult the baby fur, then this will be gone. Then she will have an adult coat which will be a rich brown collour, glossy and sleek.

She had a little bat-friend for 2 days for company, he was another baby but a bit older than her. Sadly, he didnt make it.

She is a little fighter, but even so another couple of hours in that rain would have killed her and just another day without food she would not have survived. She is a very lucky little bat and certainly owes her life to Jake who found her.

Update 2, 8th August 2005
2 outstanding developments for Gabi.

Firstly she is taking food (rather than me having to put it in her mouth) She is eating between 1ml and 1.5ml of food per day in 4 or 5 sittings.

And secondly, she flew for the first time !!!! OK, so it wasn't very strong, definitely wonky and crashed after about 12ft, but excellent nonetheless. With this progress I am hoping that in the long term, she will be a wild bat, rather than a captive bat.

Badger Cub Release The little badger cub picked up by a lorry driver has now been released after a final check up at the vets we took him out to the area he was found and lory driver Don Matthews released him back to the wild.

Click for larger image

Sun 31st July 05 Saw a fantastic collaberation of wildlife groups as we had a call from member of public who had a bat. Jake Rodgers who was at a party found the little bat on the driveway of the house and boxed it up in a cereal box to keep it dark, luckily his mum Amanda Rodgers after frantically looking through the yellow pages knew who to call, Mike Edwards of the Gwent Badger Group as she knew he would be able to get the bat to the right people. Mike Edwards went to pick it up as he was out and in the area, and Steve Clark mobilised the Gwent bat group to pick it up, it turned out to be a 3 – 4 week old pipistrelle bat slightly under weight but healthy, will be cared for by bat group and they will keep us informed on progress and release date. Remember if you cannot find a number that relates to an animal you find in need of help call another group who will point you in the right direction, in this case it saved a little bats life, Well done Jake and Amanda!! I have also been informed the bat is now called Gabi.
Click for larger image Also here is a copy of an e-mail recived this morning from the Bat Group

Hi Mike
Thanks ever so much for picking up the bat yesterday. Quickie update for you. A little 
female pipistrelle, about 3 weeks old, underweight.

29th June 2005

On the 26th June we had an early morning call from a local lorry driver who had found a badger cub, 
the driver saw it on the side of the road drove back found it was alive wrapped it up in a hessian sack
and then drove home to get our number from the local paper, he then called us and we met up with him 
in Newport.

The cub was suffering from shock and was then rushed to the vet in Chepstow for examination, Luckily 
this proved to be good news and all he had was a small swelling under the tounge and a small amount
of blood was found in his mouth, he has been put on a course of antibiotics and will probably be with us 
for about 10-12 days before release.

The 26th of June turned out to be less than normal for the group as we are still getting a healthy amount
of calls with regards to snares following our article in the South Wales Argus and we also had another two
road casualties one was called in just after we picked up the cub so we dealt with that as it was on the 
way to Chepstow, and another call came in to another casualty Nr Usk on the motorway and the group was
assisted by the local traffic Police who assisted in locating the badger and guided us to it.

Thanks to all the people who called and helped us on monday keep the calls coming and a special thanks to
Gwent Traffic Police for their help in locating a badger and keeping us safe on the roads.

24th June 2005
After the South Wales Argus ran the story of Miracle the Snared Badger AKA “The Tummy 
Tuck Badger” The Group has recived an overwhelming amount of calls from people all over 
Gwent with information regarding Badger activity, Traps and possible Sett destruction, some 
people have been brave enough to give in names of persons who are now under investigation 
by the Police and the Group.

We are still asking for anyone with information no matter how trivial it may seem to get in touch 
with the group all calls are strictly confidential and you do not have to give your details or 
number to us, any information is taken seriously, the Group are working closely with the local 
Wildlife Crime Officers at Gwent Police and will follow up all leads from the public. 

The Group would like to thank The South Wales Argus for taking up the story and making the
public aware that these cruel people are out there, with their help and that of the public we 
can clamp down on Badger and other wildlife crime in Gwent.

CALL IN CONFIDENCE
Steve Clark – 07867 673 054 (24hr) E-mail – steve@gwentbadgergroup.org.uk
Mike Edwards – 07830 108 467 (24hr) E-mail – mike@gwentbadgergroup.org.uk

Or see our contacts pages here and here

In an emergency call the Police do not approch anyone you may think is involved in a crime DIAL 999

Gwent Badger Group " BADGER WEEKENDER"

Well summer finally arrived and not too soon as this weekend (18-19 June) The Group were 
out doing their bit for Badger week.

The Old Railway Station is a great tourist attraction in Tintern with top class facilities food 
and activitys though out the season they even put on some Archery for Fathers day so all 
the Dad's could show off a bit.

We met and chatted to lots of people this weekend and made an educational impact on the 
young and old alike, a young Badger rescuer in the making was Hamish Myers from Newport
who loves badgers and had a chance to try out some of the rescue equipment used by the 
Groups rescue Officers WELL DONE HAMISH from all at the Group.

Thanks to everyone who visited us at Tintern we hope to see you all again at future events,
so keep your eyes on the events page, or why not join The Group and come to our summer
sizzler BBQ at the Coed Chambers Reserve, see the events page for more information.

Hamish Myers has a go at Badger Rescue 
Click for larger image


Snared Badger goes back to the Wild

Possibly one of the most successful releases in the long history of the Gwent Badger Group took place this week with the release of Miracle the 3 year old female badger that was rescued from a snare nine weeks ago. Rehabilitated from a pitiful state snared in a local hedgerow o watching her run at high speed down a field and back to freedom has been very rewarding, it has taken a lot of different people and a lot of hard work, sleepless nights and funding to get her back to the wild but we did it, Good Luck Miracle. Before her release Miracle displayed her fitness to the local Cub and Scout Group the 1st Wentwood who were thrilled to get close to a badger and get a bit of education from Chairman Steve Clark. We will keep you updated on any progress, as the area will continue to be patrolled and monitored by Members of the Group. Please help us help Badgers Join the Group or make a donation here. We would like any comments you have on snares or Badgers in general, please pop them into our Guestbook or mail them in to the Group Mail us "An Early Day Motion has been tabled in the House of Commons seeking to outlaw the manufacture, sale and use of snares. Click here to read the Motion and see whether your MP is supporting it" http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=28263 "If they haven't, click here to search for your MP. Tell them you have read the recent article and viewed the story on our web-site, and request they add their support to EDM 75" http://www.locata.co.uk/commons/ "If they don't have an e-mail address then Fax them by using the following link" http://www.faxyourmp.com/ Educating the 1st Wentwood scout group Group Member kerry Schrader releases Miracle

Snared Badger almost ready for release.

Quite a lot has gone on with the Sow rescued from the snare back in March this year most regular site visitors would have already read about and seen the pain and suffering caused to the badger and about all the hard work that has been ongoing since her rescue.

It’s now over eight weeks since the rescue and she is looking ready to be released for the last few weeks she has been under the care of Secret World who had a large area for her to exercise her leg which has healed up nicely and she has now returned to The Group to be released.

There is not much to say about the recovery of the Badger other than it is a long process and takes up a lot of time of those involved in her care and in all from the time she was reported in the snare it has taken the time of over 20 people from The Group, The Veterinary centre, The Police, Secret World and members of the public to get her on her feet, The Group would like to Thank everybody involved in this incident for their help and time.

All going well and another trip to the Vet for a check up and if the weather is right the badger will be released early week commencing the 23rd May 05.

Gwent Badger Group wins on THE GRAND NATIONAL

Like everyone else I receive my fair share of junk mail. Sometimes however the mail delivers a surprise. This week was no exception. On the Wednesday after the Grand National I received a cheque for £10 with a compliment slip that read as follows:

Dear Mr Tony Croke
We recently held a sweepstake for the Grand National with cash prizes. Also allocated was £10.00 to charity of winners choice. Our winner Mr Adam Lucas decided on your charity.
Enclosed cheque for £10.00
Many Thanks
Susan.
Co: details.
Geotechnical Instruments (UK) Ltd, Sovereign House, Queensway, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV31 3JR.
Tel: 01926 338111 Fax 01926 338110 www.bacharach-europe.com
Adam Lucas email address is a.lucas@geotech.co.uk

What a super gesture, from someone who found our web site when he was searching via GOOGLE for a badger dispensary. This again proves the value of having such a good web site. The company that Adam works for are specialists in manufacturing and all ancillary support services wrapped around gas and water testing and monitoring equipment such as those that we see on land fill sites etc. There equipment is fixed or portable but if any one needs more info we have provided a link and their web address.

Many thanks on behalf of the Group.
By Tony Croke

5th April 2005
Badger Cub dead in tree

The group were called out by a member of the public on 5th April to a dead badger cub in a tree in the Barnetts wood area in Chepstow besides the cub there were no signs of foul play and the nearby sett had not been tampered with.

The injuries were limited to the head of the cub and the fact it was in a tree probably rules out a badger on badger infanticide, we can only assume that a small terrier type dog had entered the sett and drew the the cub out and the owner placed it in the tree so that the dog would leave it alone.

Sadly this type of thing happens, if you ever find yourself in this situation please call the group or the police as the sett could be vunerable or there may be a problem with the badgers, all the numbers can be found by clicking here or you can fill in our incident report form by clicking here.

A gallery of photographs is available by clicking here

WARNING not suitible for children or easily disturbed contains medical procedures

Second snare incident in area proves Fatal

Second incident 2nd April 2005
Call received from member of public regarding a dead badger in a snare, this was discovered by 
people walking their dog and was in the same area and not far from the other incident.

Upon arrival the badger was found to be a young boar caught by the neck, thankfully it looked 
as though he had not been there long and the death was quick as there was no sign of the snare 
cutting into the badger and no signs of a major struggle never the less it is still a terrible was for 
an animal to die.

The Police are looking into the incidents and in the last few days over fifty various types of snares 
have been removed, we will state that the two snares that caught badgers were the controversial 
AB Snare, and as the area is under investigation we are not disclosing it as yet.

To safeguard the badgers at this time the Group had removed ove 40 snares in the last 24 hrs

If anyone has any information regarding Snares  and the setting of in any area and have concerns
regarding the local wildlife please call us in confidence and we shall investigate the matter.

Photos © Steve Clark / Mike Edwards GBG

Badger rescued from snare has horrific injuries

Photos © Steve Clark GBG

Incident report 21st March 2005
Submitted By Mike Edwards GBG 

Badger Trapped in snare

I received a telephone call at 20.22hrs on Monday 21st March 2005 from Gwent Badger Group 
Chairman Steve Clark to assist an emergency call made regarding a badger trapped in a                          
hedgerow, this was a relayed call from our emergency line and originated from the R.S.P.C.A. 

I arrived on scene at approx 20.40 at (Location) where I was met by the person who reported 
the incident who then guided me over a fence and along a hedgerow of a small field to where 
Steve Clark and the caller’s accomplice were.

Looking into the hedgerow I could clearly see an adult badger completely tangled up in wire 
and bits of wood, the animal was extremely stressed and aggressive.

Steve Clark secured the animal with a control pole and I proceeded to use cutters to remove 
the wood and wire from the animal, the wire proved very difficult to cut and it took at least                          
20 mins to free the animal.

Once the Badger was removed from the hedgerow we found the wire too tight to remove on 
scene and we contacted one of the on call vets we use.

The badger was taken to The Veterinary Centre we use, where the vet met us.

The Badger was first weighed and sexed was approx 9kg and a non-lactating female the animal 
was then sedated for further examination.

Upon examination it was found that the wire was in fact a snare, which had locked so tight 
around the animal it had started to cut into the skin, the tightness also caused the animal to 
urinate almost constantly. 

Removal of the snare took approx 30 mins as the vet had to cut away quite a bit of tangled 
fur and bits of the hedgerow before he could then carefully and with some difficulty cut the 
wire and remove it from around the animal.

Upon removal the vet examined the animal, it’s skin where the wire had been can only be 
described as a mixture of friction injuries with open sores and necrotic tissue, the animal also
had a sore on it’s mouth probably from chewing the wire to escape, the Vet determined that                          
the animal had been trapped for at least 12 hours.

The wounds were cleaned out and antibiotic cream was applied along with a dose of antibiotics 
and painkillers and taken into the care of The Gwent Badger Group.

The Badger will be submitted for further checks and treatment in 2 days time unless it 
deteriorates in which case it will probably be admitted to the surgery

End of Report

22nd March 2005
The next day produced a few points of concern especially the fact that the Badger had a lame 
back leg so it was decided to book her into the vets for another examination.

Upon arrival she was weighed again, and let out of the cage so that the vet could better 
assess the leg usage, which did not look good as she was just dragging it, so it was decided to 
x-ray her to look for problems with the leg and any internal damage as well.

The x-rays proved promising as there was no damage visible but concerns then lied as to 
whether she had damaged a nerve or already had the injury before being caught, this usually 
means that if there is no sign that it will heal in the near future that badger is it worthwhile 
carrying on with treatment or would she have to be put to sleep.

The injury caused by the snare needed treating soon or the would be a very good chance of 
septicaemia setting in because of all the dead tissue, also the vet was under the opinion now 
that this badger had been in the snare for at least three days judging by the state of the 
wound so we decided to give her a course of antibiotics to keep the infection at bay for a few 
days and see if the leg improved.

So to give her head start in hygiene she had some fur shaved away from the wound and was 
given a bath as she was in a bit of a state.

She was given special care by Steve Clark who monitored her around the clock, feeding her 
anything she would take, mostly with a syringe but she was getting fluids down her which was 
a start, and keeping the wound clean to combat the infection.

29th March 2005
After nine days the leg had improved about 20% and now there was feeling there where there
was none before so she had reflexes and was now trying to get the leg under her body and 
put weight on it.

By this time the wound had started to split open which was expected so the decision was 
made to operate on her to remove the dead tissue and stitch up the wound.

She spent approx 90mins in surgery and it all went well, she was fitted with a collar to stop 
her nibbling at the stitches and staples, and good shot of antibiotics and painkillers and a good 
scrub she was ready for a good rest.

After waking up that night she was offered food and water by syringe and did drink quite a lot 
of water then bedded down for the night.

31st March 2005
She had a drain fitted while in surgery which needed removal, and by this time she had got 
wise to the collar and promptly removed it and putting it back on is no easy task so it was 
back to the vets… Again.

The drain was removed and collar fitted, this was to be removed again so now she is collar 
free but is being a good badger and leaving the wound alone.

2nd April 2005
Was offered a more solid rabbit tripe mix of food and got stuck in like there was no tomorrow 
and the leg is picking up even more so the prospects are good she will need to go back to the 
vets in six days time to have all the staples removed, we will keep you posted.

A gallery of photographs is available by clicking here 
WARNING not suitible for children or easily disturbed contains medical procedures

31st March 2005

Drivers Keep your eyes open

The Gwent Badger Group is urging drivers too keep their eyes open when driving in the early evening and at night as badger activity is high at this time of year. We have had quite a lot of calls to dead badgers on the road in our area and the busy period has not really begun yet so it could possibly get many more calls.Hitting a badger is not only distressing but can cause severe damage to your car as some badgers are quite big.

To help avoid hitting a Badger The Group has the following advice to motorists,

Always be vigilant when driving in the following area’s

Country roads
Near woodland or forest roads
Places where the hedgerow meets the road
Always use caution where you see a wildlife signs

To find out what to do if you do hit a badger Click here

To report a dead badger Click here

9th January 2005 Chairman’s last word.

Hello Everyone,

This being the first (and belated) Chairman’s last word and the end of another year I have combined it with the Christmas party, so on with the show.

First of all a big thank you to all the members who attended the 2004 Christmas
Dinner, it was a very successful evening enjoyed by all we had a full house and could not have wished for a better night.

We started the evening with a few glasses of wine (non alcoholic for the drivers) and a chat with friends old and new, this was followed by a fantastic meal, which had plenty of choice for all tastes, and the desserts were out of this world, and we would like to thank Donna Lane for the catering.

Thanks must also go to Pisces pets of Somerton road in Newport who very kindly supplied the animals to Mike Edwards who kept us entertained with a few rather interesting specimens which can be seen on the party gallery.

Click here for Christmas party gallery

Hailed a success by committee and members the party will be held at the same venue next year on either the 3rd or the 10th December TBC

We also managed to do what we do second best the other being Badger Rescue of course and raised some funds, we sold our new fund raising merchandise in aid of the Group, One of the Group's junior members, Rebecca Phillips is a great supporter of the Secret World - Pauline |Kidner's animal rescue centre - and she had been busy cooking mince pies and biscuits to sell to raise money for this centre. She had a successful sale and everyone agreed that she should also be given the proceeds of the raffle to add to her donation to the Secret World have taken three cubs from us this year for rehabilitation.

Altogether this was a great evening - great venue, great food and an excellent speaker on unusual subjects - a perfect pre Christmas event.

The mention of cubs brings me into the rest of the years affairs, and some of the highlights we have endured, The Group have rescued a few cubs this year and this created a good deal of media interest for the Group with appearances in the local press and on the BBC news website which also ran a story and with a 100% rehabilitation record for 2004 we can only wish for the same next year.

2004 also brought in a few new committee members, Colin and Nova Barrows came aboard as did newcomer Mike Edwards who has come to the group with lots enthusiasm and has attended rescues, shows and produced this website for us.

The Group has attended a lot of shows this year including The Gwent Police open day, The Gwent Wetlands show and we even got ourselves to the National Eisteddfod, we raised plenty of funds and hopefully awareness which is very important to us, along with educating the public to the Badgers plight.

On more internal matters the Group have attended a few seminars and talks to keep up to date with the laws and legislations regarding Badgers and carried out work under licence for local councils such as helping the council carry out a much needed road re surface by keeping the local Badgers at bay until the work was complete.

This year has also seen work on our woodland project at Coed Chambers, we have had a road and path put in and have had a lovely hide built, we also held a BBQ there in the summer for members to see what is happening there, it was a great day, with Tony’s cooking going down a treat and then a guided tour through the woodland looking for evidence of Badgers which proved to be quite fruitful, work starts again on January 2nd with a bit of land clearance around the hide to help with access and viewing and we will then start baiting the area to bring the Badgers up to the hide.

Here's wishing everyone a Happy New Year, see you all soon.

Steve Clark. Chairman GBG.

New Years Eve Rescue
On New Years Eve we got called out by Members Mr and Mrs Reed in Wyesham to a Badger in distress in their garden.

When we arrived he was between a wall and shed and although he put up the usual fight after further examination by our vet it was found his back end was paralysed, this along with a few other ailment meant we had to put him to sleep.

He had been like this for a few weeks just dragging himself around and hunger finally drove him close to human dwelling in search of an easy meal he weighed in at just over 6 kg when this time of year he should be about 45 - 55lb so he was just a bit skinny.

Gallery Click Here

Please Note: Images contain medical procedures and may not be suitable for children.

This rescue was a distressing way for our rescuers to spend a New Years Eve and they didn’t get home until 10-45pm to get a well earned drink, Well done and Thank You to all who dropped New Years for the Badger.

We also had a call from the Police on New Years Eve who reported a dead Badger by the Fibreglass factory at Pontrhydyrun

Drive carefully on Country roads or near woodland areas where animals may cross and help stop this from happening.

Photos © Mike Edwards GBG

WORK DAY AT COED CHAMBERS. 2nd January 2005

A group of members met at the Coed Chambers Reserve over the New Year's holiday in order to clear undergrowth and work on putting finishing touches to the new hide. Unfortunately the usual heavyweight strimmer was not available so clearance of undergrowth was rather limited.

Photos © Mike Edwards GBG

The guttering on the hide was fitted and facia boards fixed. Bait feeding to attract badgers to a viewing area is the next project. It is hoped to arrange a rota of members to cover this.

It is proposed to hold another workday towards the end of February.

Click here for Gallery.