| Scottish Badgers Advisory
Group Meeting 1st Sept 2007 in Perth
Nine group members were present and business was conducted from 1000
to 1440 with a short break for lunch. The main points for discussion
were:
National Database - progress on data-sharing agreements
with Forest Enterpise and others.
Rehabilitation - issue of updated guidelines for when
dealing with injured badgers.
Annual Conference - a run through of the details of
our conference to be held on 22nd Sept and a look ahead to the conference
for 2008
Training - a report on progress towards developing
the Level 2 syllabus.
Badger Trust - a report on their confeence in England
Casework - highlights of current and recent cases including
crimes against badgers
National Survey - a detailed report by Elaine Rainey
on the (very encouraging) state of affairs.
Licensing issues - a discussion about shortcomings
in the system
Website - a brief look at how it is functioning.
Consultations - a discussion on feedback from the recent
snaring consultation and others.
Access - a briefing on possible future problems resulting
from a court hearing.
If anyone would like more details on any of the above topics please
email me
The next meeting is Fri 14th December. Please let me know if there are
issues you would like me to have put on the agenda.
Scottish Badgers Advisory Group Meeting 4th May
Most of the group were present and the following topics were
discussed:
The training group, rehabilitation, the national database, the new species
protection post, current casework, the lottery national
survey project, the annual conference, licensing issues, the website,
consultations and the access code. Anyone wishing to
know more details should contact me by email and I'll be happy to oblige.
Training for the National Badger Survey
Two training session for the badger survey took place in the
Highlands on the weekend 3rd/4th March:
Sat 3rd March
Aigas Field Centre. There were 27 trainees on this course which comprised
Elaine Rainey running a theory session in the morning and then a practical
session at two badger setts in the afternoon. We saw a peregrine falcon
during the afternoon session. Afterwards Elaine came with my wife and
I to Boat of Garten where we went to the badger hide sett so that Elaine
could plan the training for the following day.
Sun 4th March
Boat of Garten Village Hall. 5 members of the Boat of Garten Wildlife
Group attended this second course which ran on smilar lines to the previous
day.
A very successful weekend was had by all.
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Scottish Badgers Executive Committee Meeting 5th January 2007
at the Station Hotel in Perth
We discussed:
Badger Worker Training meeting on 4th December
The Rehab Meeting on 24th Nov
The National Badger Database Structure and progress with agreements
on sharing information with other bodies
The Snaring Consultation
Invasive Species Consultation
Casework Issues
Progress with the up-coming Natinal Badger Survey
The Annual Conference 2007
Licensing Issues
Website Issues
Next meeting is in Perth on 4th May 07. If anyone in the Highland Badger
Network wishes me to raise anything at the meeting please let me know.
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Scottish Badgers Executive Committee Meeting 30th June in Perth
The following subjects were discussed.
The new lottery survey project
Rehabilitation of badgers policy
The animal health and welfare act
Future national database for badger records
The annual conference
Training for badger workers
Plus the usual treasurer, membership secretary and development officer
reports.
Paltry Sentence for Badger Crime
Steven Murray from Croy near Inverness used a mechanical digger to fill
in a badger sett, prior to which he, or someone else, had soaked a bedspread
in diesel oil, or something similar, set fire to it and stuffed it down
one of the badger tunnels. In my opinion he should be behind bars, but
deals were done behind the scenes and he was fined a measly £200.
This kind of stupid sentencing sends entirely the wrong message and
defeats the object of having animal protection laws because a fine of
just £200 is no deterrent at all.
Strathspey Badger Hide
The busy time at Easter is now over and we are able to take bookings
for the rest of the summer. A pine marten has taken up residence near
the hide and we are getting some occasional sightings.
Sharing Sett Records
With the forthcoming National Badger Survey coming up over the next
three years the thorny issue of sharing information about badger setts
will soon have to be resolved. I will be very interested to hear the
views of anyone reading this page. Do you take the view that the less
people know about the whereabouts of our setts the better, or do you
think that badgers benefit from people knowing where they are? If you
think we should share our records, how should they be stored and who
would have access to them? Email
me with your views.
Training For Badger Workers
A training session for potential tutors has been held and once
a few teething problems with the training materials have been sorted
out we should be able to make a start.
Scottish Badgers Committee Meeting on 25th March 2006
The following topics were discussed:
Changes to Charity Law will affect all bodies such
as ours and there may have to be changes in the Scottish Badgers constitution.
Proposed changes will be written up and presented for approval at the
AGM at Oatridge on 7th October.
Our membership secretary is a busy man and his work
load may increase once the forthcoming survey gets under way. We discussed
various options should the work become too much for one person.
Plans and a timetable for the Lottery funded Badger Survey
were presented to the meeting. The project will keep us busy for the
next three years and hopefully raise the profile of badger issues in
Scotland as well as giving us all something to really get our teeth
into. For full details of the project go to the Scottish
Badgers website.
Next came plans and a proposed programme for our Annual Conference
on 7th October at Oatridge. We also discussed who should represent us
at the Badger Trust conference in England this year.
We then covered our development officer's work including crime reports,
mitigation, training and licensing issues.
The next meeting will be in Perth on 30th June. If there are any matters
that anyone wishes me to raise then please email me .
Finally - for everyone interested in badgers in the Highlands of Scotland
I cannot overstress the importance of becoming a member of Scottish
Badgers. You will receive regular newsletters and be kept informed
of everything that is going on the world of badgers in Scotland and
you will also benefit from insurance while out on badger affairs.
Allan Bantick
Coordinator
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