'To anybody involved - we are coming after you. You will end up behind bars'
Badgers are a protected species in Northern Ireland but that doesn't stop criminals in the dark and twisted underworld of baiting from ripping them from their setts while sleeping and setting multiple dogs on them to maul them death while they cheer at their blood curdling screams.
Currently, NI Badger Group, the USPCA and Operation Brockwatch actively protect around 30 badger setts across the country with plans to widen their scope. A report on the issue, unveiled at Stormont last year, found children as young as 14 are involved in badger baiting. But it's hard to catch baiting gangs as the USPCA and other animal welfare groups say the absence of legislation banning hunting wild mammals like foxes with dogs, provides a legal loophole for offenders who can use this as an excuse when caught in fields where badgers live.
Nora says they have CCTV cameras monitoring setts that have been attacked in the past 24/7 - and through their "incredible network of volunteers are able to see if a sett has been disturbed". "But we don't take that for granted and we're super vigilant in terms of that surveillance work and it's through the dedication of our volunteers, through the commitment of the landowners that give us permission to come onto the land which ultimately, then keeps these groups off their property and protects this wonderful... native wildlife.
He told us he was inspired to do what he could to help after he "came across an incident where someone had dug a badger out of a sett and found it mangled... and a fox tied up beside it which had obviously been set upon by dogs"."We want to thank the Police Service of Northern Ireland - in a recent case they got a really good result and we would encourage them to go after all these gangs and get them before the courts.
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