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

I know little about badgers and was surprised to see on TV recently that they actually went into gardens at all and was stunned to see there are urban badgers who go into urban gardens. I believe this was on the new BBC1 Nature of Britain series which is quite good, I find the accompanying BBC2 programme "A users Guide" to be great too, if not even better than BBC1 programme.
The programme said that urban Badgers travel less than country ones as get food from gardens and bins close by and are a little fatter.

I can confirm that badgers visit gardens as they have come to mine every nigjht for over two years! See http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/F1694533?thread=745775&skip=0&show=20 Enjoy, and do join us if you can Websailor

PS I have added you to my Friends List. I hope that is ok.

WS

Hello Websailor! Great piece! I'm a vegetarian - but I drink milk and eat cheese. So anyways in a world that was ideal for *me* there would be less cattle and they would be kept in better conditions, and I'm sure this would keep them healthier, too. There may then still be some measures needed to keep them healthy ... but I doubt whether killing badgers would even be a consideration!

Of course this world is not made just to suit me ... or badgers for that matter! I still think we must consider the worth of all creatures ... not just in terms of money - "these cows are worth so many million pounds" - but the intrinsic value of all wild creatures. But how do we measure such value and convince others of it?

At any rate - why should 'an emotional response to the threat to our nocturnal friends' not count as much as anything that can be established by 'science'? I myself certainly have an emotional response towards animals ... and to people too. Strip everything of emotion, and we have a world, a whole existence, that doesn't matter or mean anything.

Ah, but you see conservationists, environmentalists, animal lovers whatever, are constantly being accused of emotional reactions by those who don't agree, or don't care. Their definition is that it is not a rational, considered reaction and therefore can be discounted, which is why i made the point

I think the intrinsic value of all creatures seems to be ignored. Everything on this planet, and perhaps beyond is linked, and we cut those links at our peril. It's a bit like pulling bricks out of a wall. For a long time it will remain standing, in spite of all the holes, but at some stage 'a brick too far' will be taken and the whole thing will collapse.

I just hope people wake up before we reach that point

Websailor