h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Apparently the numbers of seals are decreasing as their habitat melts, this is not being taken into account when they work out their quota.

Also I have been reading of the badger/TB research in New Scientist and the scientists researching it have said that having hedges on the farms decreases the incidence of TB a lot. Yet whenever they try and bring that up, they get ignored, they feel the government had already decided on the cull and that their research was just meant to support the cull, they are not interested in anything else that they had found out.

When research is used to fit already decided parameters, what hope does reason have? Still we must continue to hope.

Kaz,

You are so right about the Govt. and Badgers. Whenever research is quoted you always need to look at who is funding it. I feel too, that the Govt. is set on a cull and is ignoring all advice. It is the usual case of 'he who pays the piper calls the tune' again.

I was interested in this<>

Did it say how it makes a difference.? I haven't heard that before. I always used to have the New Scientist, but f ound it difficult to find the time to read it, and they were piling up. I can't throw anything away, but I eventually found a home for them! They were so interesting.

thanks for keeping me up to date, Kaz.



Websailor

I have found the NS link
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/mg18925423.200.html

That was a link about the hedgerows btw.

I have found another one about how culling makes it worse in other areas. I only hope they don't use this as justification to kill all of them.
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/mg18825303.400.html

Kaz, thanks for the links and the email. Very interesting and useful.

Websailor