cmdr19 Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 Driving along the A6 between Bakewell and Buxton around 8am yesterday morning en route to the Manchester Aviation fair. Coming out of a bend, encountered a dead Badger (or similar - didn't stop to do PM) in the middle of the road, too late to avoid, daren't swerve so had no choice but to go over it. I thought at least the spoiler would be ripped off but no, sudden loss of power and the noise that only an unsilenced engine makes made my heart sink. I pulled over to fear the worst and found no trace (or bits) of badger but the little - big- blighter managed to pull the middle exhaust pipes clean apart. As I didn't fancy a roadside repair, I managed to drive slowly and noisily on to Bakewell where 'Steve's Tyre and Exhaust's' 01298 70011 (plug, plug) had me sorted and on my way within 15 minutes and before they opened - thanks Guys. Theres no punchline to this story - just thought I'd share it. Mike By the way, the Aviation fair was fantastic if you are a Planes, trains & automobiles person. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Johncracknell Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 We have quite a few dead badgers on the back roads around us, saw an article a few weeks ago saying that badgers had a disproportional rate of fatalities........... They bloody would do, as nearly all of them have a bullitt it hole in them, gets round the protected animal legislation !!. So they are chucked out the back of a land rover late at night or very early in the morning. I went over / through one in a merc a few years ago, over £ 4 k in damage, new front skirt, rad, ECT ECT. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
openroad Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 I have an mg badger story....at dusk just going home,two ran out from a farm gateway and as i braked hard they both went under the car.They had been oblivious to me which for a badger is unusual. i backed up fearing the worst and both were dead,i was heartbroken,all i could do was pull them onto the grass verge.,,,, the damage to the mgb wasnt too bad ,i now always slow down at that gateway,just in case. Conrad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peter Cobbold Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 Natural life span 15 years, actual about 3 due mainly to road deaths. Now they have to contend with being shot at as well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 Hi Mike, did you have to badger the car mechanic to open early. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peter Cobbold Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 No 10 hour badger delay then? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 Well, that's sorted tomorrow then. I had planned to do some work on the 4A but I now have 10 hours of badgers to see/hear. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alec Pringle Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 We certainly aren't short of badgers, that's for sure. 25 years ago they were a regular sighting in this area, but not that common . . . . you had to know where to look. Nowadays we're awash with bloody brocks in Wiltshire/Dorset/Somerset, to the detriment of a lot of other species - surprising what badgers will eat, and with a lack of predators other than man they are thriving, road kill doesn't begin to inhibit their growth in numbers. I'd hate to wallop a badger in any TR, it's going to cause damage, whereas two tons of Panzer just steamrollers the beggars. Same with larger birds of prey, a rare sighting quarter of a century ago, now we could do with a major cull of buzzards and kites and their smaller reatives, the blighters are demolishing their own food chain much faster than the food chain can reproduce . . . . . But try telling that to the soppy bar stewards in bird and animal charities and lobby groups, they don't live in the country and observe change through the decades, they sit in urban offices wearing rose-tinted specs and reading reports and statistics, and pop out to the country on sunny weekends. Cheers Alec Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cmdr19 Posted July 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 We have quite a few dead badgers on the back roads around us, saw an article a few weeks ago saying that badgers had a disproportional rate of fatalities........... They bloody would do, as nearly all of them have a bullitt it hole in them, gets round the protected animal legislation !!. So they are chucked out the back of a land rover late at night or very early in the morning. I went over / through one in a merc a few years ago, over £ 4 k in damage, new front skirt, rad, ECT ECT. I guess our TR's are tougher than we thought. My total repair bill was £10 - guess it might have been a different story if I'd hit a live one. As it was, all that sturdy ironwork underneath the car mearly spat the offending creature out the other end. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Denis Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 (edited) My local Farmer told me that Badgers were protected from Badger Baiting, and now the population is so high that Baiting is higher than it's ever been anyway! totally defeating the object! What erks Farmers is Badgers carry Bovine TB and they infect domestic Cattle...indeed just that day Ministry men were coming to shot his rare breed prize Cow that was weening a new Calf...which may also have TB...but they aren't allowed to test Calfs...Not with standing the distress to the Farmer, the Calf now needed to be hand reared...as the Farmer said... "the Best Badger is Dead Badger!" My brother in law agreed with that, as Badgers dig under his fences...which allows Foxes to get in and kill his Poultry! So when I see a road kill Badger I now just think of the Farmers! And poor TR owners of course! Edited July 14, 2013 by Denis Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peter Cobbold Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Hmmmm ..... I disagree. It is going to be very interesting to see who the farmers will seek to blame when the culling fails to show any effect on bovTB. Look at it this way: which animal on a pasture is going to incubate the most TB bugs? - a badger weighing a few kg or a half ton cow? Cattle kept in cowsheds are in a perfect environment for infecting one another. Then their muck is spread over the pasture, with no sterilisation whatsoever. Slurry tanks wont kill TB either. Once a pasture is infected the bugs live, encapsulated, for weeks, maybe months. And slurry spreading in NVZs with shoe injectors that keep the sun off the bugs will be even worse. I was originally against the cull but I've changed my mind (this helped**) - and suspect the cull is actually a clever political ploy - farmers' bluff has been called. When culling fails, they will face tough regulations regarding microbiological security. Controls on slurry and muck to start with. Using it for anaerobic digestion for methane production seems likely to be imposed. Human TB was eradicated mostly by improving living conditions and became a rarity in the '70s in UK, now resurging as a result of HIV. When cowsheds are steam sterilisable using methane from ADs fed with the slurry then progress in eradicating bTB will be rapid. Milk is going to get more expensive, beef too. Although I read recently that TB-infected beef can be sold for human consumption....legally. And dont even think about drinking non-past-your-eyes milk. Peter **http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2012/oct/14/letters-observer?newsfeed=true Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peter Cobbold Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Denis "...as Badgers dig under his fences...which allows Foxes to get in and kill his Poultry" For your Bro-in law the solution is to put a badger gate into the fence where they dig under. They can be made too heavy for a fox. Lots of gates on google images. And put the hens away at night although I doubt a badger could catch one, they're almost blind. Peter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smeggie Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Amazing! The Badger song does actually run for 10 hrs, longer than most TR's without maintenance, new gearbox, engine etc etc unless of course the Badger is run over, which seems quite popular. Had to pause the song for refreshments but time well spent Smeggie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peter Cobbold Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Amazing! The Badger song does actually run for 10 hrs, longer than most TR's without maintenance, new gearbox, engine etc etc unless of course the Badger is run over, which seems quite popular. Had to pause the song for refreshments but time well spent Smeggie Then you May have time for the propaganda version: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smeggie Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Thanks Peter Copied a few times to make it 10 hours long! Looking forward to it especially as Brian Blessed is featured! Smeggie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ragtag Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Hmmmm ..... I disagree. It is going to be very interesting to see who the farmers will seek to blame when the culling fails to show any effect on bovTB. Agreed Peter. Doesn't matter whether you are a townie or from the country, a flawed argument is just that. Having said that, I have no problem with a cull, simply to control numbers. I will take responsibility for the one that digs up my lawn! Denis "...as Badgers dig under his fences...which allows Foxes to get in and kill his Poultry" For your Bro-in law the solution is to put a badger gate into the fence where they dig under. They can be made too heavy for a fox. Lots of gates on google images. And put the hens away at night although I doubt a badger could catch one, they're almost blind. Peter. This may be an 'urban myth' but don't badgers follow courses that get handed down through the generations? The problem is building a fence on a badger's route rather than the badger vandalising the fence for the hell of it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peter Cobbold Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 (edited) Agreed Peter. Doesn't matter whether you are a townie or from the country, a flawed argument is just that. Having said that, I have no problem with a cull, simply to control numbers. I will take responsibility for the one that digs up my lawn! This may be an 'urban myth' but don't badgers follow courses that get handed down through the generations? The problem is building a fence on a badger's route rather than the badger vandalising the fence for the hell of it. Setts are often hundreds of years old. Our hillside has been scalloped by them as new holes have been dug and old ones neglected. The tracks near a sett or between setts will be padded bare with generations of use. But away from the sett they use favoured routs but they vary year by year - maybe as food supplies come and go. Peanuts are favourite food. We scatter them in front of a patio window and watch them under 300watt flood light - our after dinner floor show. Edited July 15, 2013 by Peter Cobbold Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dykins Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 It may be my imagination, but I don't recall ever seeing so many dead badgers on the road as I've seen this year. Alot of them appear to be this year's youngsters The thing that puzzles me is what happens to their bodies? After a couple of days, they seem to have disappeared. Regards Peter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 DEFRA collect them for testing or its a fox dinner. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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