badgers are due to be trapped and killed for the fifth year running in the devizes area by DEFRA in a scandlaous and technically illegal "scientific bovine tuberculosis experiment" . wildlife volunteers are required to survey and monitor setts, to look for badger activity and DEFRA traps.

traps take the form of cages, 1.5ft x 1.5ft x 4ft and are usually hidden somewhere near a badger sett or sometimes on a run.

of course whilst it is tecnically illegal to either move or trip these traps or indeed interfere with a badger sett, hundreds of said traps have mysteriously disappeared and/or have bent themselves out of shape, thus rendering them useless to man or badger.

a badger can't be caught and then shot if the trap has disappeared. mind you, traps won't move if badger-friendly pixies don't get out in the fields and woodland.

check out  http://www.badger-killers.co.uk/ or indeed  http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/index.htm to find out what's going on and how you can help.