ANTI-badger cull campaigners in Gloucestershire have said they have found two seriously injured badgers over the last few days and before the cull has officially started.

One badger was rescued by the local animal wildlife ambulance from the Wild Life With Animals Charity after being found injured in fields around Linton, but died. The second badger was already dead when it was picked up by volunteers monitoring badger setts in the area around Taynton. It had been mutilated, having had both its ears cut off.

Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting spokesperson Jeanne Berry said: “We are distraught that badger supporters have found two badgers with serious injuries even before the cull has started. Sadly the first badger died after being taken to the Vale Wildlife Centre. The second badger had been deliberately mutilated by whoever had killed it. We are now wondering whether removing the ears of badgers is going to be a way of easily counting the numbers killed this year which is a gruesome development even in this cull. Post mortems have not been carried out on the badgers as this is a very expensive process and the focus now of all groups supporting badgers is to be out in the cull zone over the next few weeks to help save those badgers which are still alive. It is beyond belief that there are people living in our community who would mutilate a badger and we would ask more people to join in our campaign to help save our remaining badgers."