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"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we only will tune in."
- George Washington Carver

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Tuesday 16 March 2010

Hunting Dog Trials


This piece is a somewhat disturbing posting on You Tube by JadgeterrierFan. It appears that Badger baiting is alive and well and living in Russia.....and Bulgaria.....and Serbia.

Such videos are currently being "flagged" to YouTube HQ as inappropriate content containing images of animal abuse. As far as I know, such flagging of content only gets the video taken down and does nothing to prevent such abuse taking place. It is also unlikely to result in the prosecution of the perpetrators.It does not solve the problem, and having the video removed will merely drive the problem underground and allow it to continue out of sight. Rather than flagging these videos, a campaign involving increasing public awareness would be far more appropriate. 
This particular video clip is of a "CACT Badger Trial". Some people , breeders perhaps,  wish to gain "hard core certification" for their working dogs.......in particular, by pitting them against "game" , such as wild boar, badger, foxes, wildcats, rabbits and ducks. CACT appears to be one such certificate involving German Jadg Terriers and Badgers. This would be illegal in the UK and probably (?) throughout the EU although I have no accurate information on current EU animal abuse legislation. Perhaps a reader could enlighten me on this point.  Such certification is currently practised in Russia, Bulgaria and Serbia where it may (?) still be legal. Breeders from abroad may take their animals to these contests in order to gain these certificates. 
Rather than flagging these videos, an e-mail campaign to the appropriate  authorities would have far more impact.
Can you imagine this happening at Crufts?

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