Letter: Pesticides a threat and not the badger
I think Ron Jones needs to know (Dangers of the Badger, Star, April 21) bees and wasps are mainly being wiped out by pesticides and insecticides, which are being used because of the intensification of farming.
He also goes on to state that badgers are responsible for the decline in ground nesting birds. While it is probably right that badgers do eat eggs, it is something that they have been doing for thousands of years.
As to the decline in ground nesting birds he mentions such as pheasants and partridges they are often artificially introduced for the purpose of shooting. If anything the number of "game" birds has increased as shooting estates have grown in numbers.
However, it seems that the population of wild birds has been decreasing anyhow. This is not just ground nesting birds, but also such common birds such as sparrows and starlings. Is he going to blame this on tree-climbing badgers?
I find it insulting to state that people only want to protect badgers because they are cute and cuddly. Most people never get to see a badger, except if they have been killed on a road. Like a lot of British wildlife, they are either nocturnal or they steer well clear of humans. Nature is in a precarious balance. If any one species is hunted or killed on an artificially high level, it will not only affect that particular species, but a whole lot of others.
Lorraine Parker
Much Wenlock
