Hundreds of people took part in the filming of a protest video near Burnham-On-Sea yesterday (Sunday) to campaign against the government’s proposed cull of badgers.
Over 350 people attended the filming session at Secret World in East Huntspill, organised by The Badger Trust.
Cameraman Martin Dohrn, pictured below, shot several scenes for the video from a helicopter flying over the Secret World site where the crowd below formed the shape of a badger in a field.
“The film highlights the plight of badgers and lets the government know there is no logic in going ahead with a cull,” he told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
“We’ve filmed this unique video to emphasize that people can unite peacefully to show the government their abhorrence of what is proposed. The Badger Trust will be publishing the video online over the next few days.”
Campaigners of all ages took part in Sunday’s filming, with some wearing attention-grabbing headwear to get the message across.
Secret World founder Pauline Kidner backed the protest, saying: “I can’t believe that through the last 25 years we have seen badgers denigrated by many in the farming community, followed by a comprehensive eight year experiment, the Randomised Badger Culling Trial, the largest experiment ever held in the world, which came out against the culling of badgers.”
“And yet we are again facing a pilot scheme to see if shooting running badgers at night will be humane, efficient and effective. With licences issued to kill over 5,000 in Somerset and Gloucestershire, our fight will continue.”
Pilot culls are due to start next month in West Somerset over a six-week period. The culls, which are intended to wipe out the spread of bovine TB, are likely to effect 70% of badger populations.
The RSPCA has branded the cull a “national disgrace”, but the Government, the National Farmers’ Union and several other organisations insist the cull must go ahead to halt the spread of bovine tuberculosis.
