does anyone know any dates for this cull?
i'm all for voicing disgust, but this will not necessarily prevent the cull, (defra are not reknowned for acknowledging others opinions)... but maybe a physical presence would...

I agree, does anyone have dates for the culls yet? maybe a demo or sab is in order. Let me know if you want to throw ideas around ..

What reasons have they given for the cull? Your article mentions nothing of that or numbers of the duck population.

Ruddy ducks are a problem for biodiversity in the UK and beyond. They are not a native variant but -- sort of like grey squirrels -- they out compete the locals and are hardier in many ways.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2814293.stm

 http://www.rspb.org.uk/policy/species/ruddyduck/problem.asp

Some are against the killing of any animal for any reason. I think things are more complicated. The end result of allowing a single strain of any animal to wipe out others is that the entire species becomes vulnerable to virii or other disease.
Leave Yorkshire Wildlife Trust alone. These people are dedicated to *helping* animals.

The mass media talk as if ruddy ducks are savaging and killing other birds,there just "mating" with other birds and bringing up their offspring,but the conservation Nazis(the RSPB and others) don't like that because there not "pure".

… – things aren’t really that complicated. Lets be quite clear what we are talking about here. Firstly, hybridisation in animals is both natural and normal. It happens all the time. The endangered white-headed duck in Spain is rare because it was hunted and its habitat destroyed.. and now DEFRA are permitting the shooting of another species just in case it happens to fly over to Spain to breed with it, thus jeopardising it’s ‘purity’.

We are talking about the mass KILLING of individuals. Whilst the preservation of species is of course important, no ethically-sound conservation initiative would involve murder of this kind… particularly when there are, as usual, alternatives (do your own research).

..yet again we appear to have an example of man persecuting a species because he fu*ked up in the first place. Nice one.

Dear all.

Firstly, I happen to know that the yorkshire wildlife trust are not doing anything against the ruddy duck and that DEFRA have carried out the research and are the ones who will be carrying out any action. Now I have made my most important point, if you wish to read further, please do..

Please stop and understand the difference between conservation and bunny hugging. They are not the same thing! Conservation includes wildlife management and that is exactly what it is..the management of our natural environment. 99% of a conservationists work is due to the affects of the human race on those species with whom we share our planet. This is the case with the ruddy duck - this species is alien, introduced by man to europe and, like the grey squirrel, is, by its mere existence in our local environment, wiping out a local species. No, not by savagely ripping the white heads off the white-headed duck but by interbreeding. this is not by nature but by man's intervention! Again, this is not a natural occurance but by our own shortsightedness!

Some of you reading this wish to embrace the grey squirrel and ruddy duck. HOWEVER - take yourself forward 50 years. When there are no red squirrels left in this country, when the white-headed duck has been out-bred completely...who will you blame? That's right you'll all blame the conservationists for not managing our wildlife properly.

Please realise that the human race is not a success story on this planet and that all seems rosy for most individuals in the short term, in our short, meaningless lives, but when you open your eyes to the bigger picture, we are ruining our very home and, unfortunately, we share that home with others. I say unfortunately because it is unfortunate for these neighbours of ours, like the red squirrel, like the white-headed duck.

So, before you talk about 'taking action', why don't you ACTUALLY find out what is happening. Why don't you approach Defra or the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust directly and find out the true story....instead of from those on the periphery. Open your minds, switch on your brains and use them before using your mouth or hands to do the talking or labelling.