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Image: Eurasian badger (Meles meles).
Home » Eurasian badger (Meles meles) » Articles :
Article 1: About lamping
The little-known pasttime of lamping comes under the spotlight.
See also: Article 2: Lamping - what's involved?
On this page: Introduction | Lamping - the unseen threat | Related Badger Pages
Lamping - hunting at night with the aid of powerful lights - is a relatively modern practice. It takes two basic forms, in which the victims are taken either with the aid of dogs, or with powerful firearms.
Here in Britain, some lampers operate officially with the permission of the landowner, and hunt for rabbits and foxes which are seen as pests. Others are simply poachers. In fact Brian Plummer in his book "The Complete Lurcher" states that "Frankly most lampers are poachers". Taking advantage of the fact their activities take place in isolated areas, late at night and under the cover of darkness, these lampers, operating without the permission of the landowner, target rabbits and hares, and in some cases deer - or badgers.
Chris Ferris has had considerable experience of lampers, having lost many of the badgers she watched to these 'sportsmen'. She divides the badger lampers into three categories:
As Badger Groups and the police have cracked down on badger digging, so in many parts of the country the diggers and baiters have turned to lamping with dogs as a means of taking badgers. (Chris has recounted her nocturnal experiences in several popular books including Out of the Darkness. )
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of badger lamping is that we simply don't know the extent to which it goes on. Lampers operate out in the fields at night when very few people are likely to see them - and even if the beams are seen or the cries of the victims are heard, the observer is unlikely to know what is going on or what to do about it. In addition, lampers do not usually leave any traces of their activities for people to find the next day, unlike badger diggers who leave excavated setts to tell the tale.
From time to time however, people do find evidence of lamping, in the form of badgers which have been brutally slain by people who simply kill for kicks. Some of these animals are found with terrible wounds from the bullets which killed them, while others have been found with their skulls smashed by sticks or metal rods or tools.
Find out about The threats faced by the Eurasian badger .
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