Just back from another 3 hours on my latest badger vaccination round. 9 consecutive days of between 3 and 5 hours, and another week or so to go. Just hope it's worth it as doing an area that previously had the cull; even though not all farms participated we've previously found it lowers numbers even on farms where they weren't directly culled.
#CheshireBadgerVaccinationProgramme
#wildlife

Not sure whether I'll get the chance to see any more badgers this year as we're coming to the end of the vaccination season. This upland sett always feels that much more remote and mysterious in the early morning mists.
#CheshireBadgerVaccinationProgramme

Only two and a half weeks until 4 of us from the CBVP effectively go full time for 12 days to vaccinate a large area, maybe 150 cages on the go between us. As I'm allegedly fit I've been given the round with the least vehicular access and am sweating the logistics of getting 40 cages into 5 main areas. An erythristic badger from our last round to remind me why I've let myself in for this.
#badgers
#CheshireBadgerVaccinationProgramme
#wildlife

Thought I had a long weekend off but due to sickness and illness in the team I'm into my fourth straight day doing pre-baiting, trap setting and vaccination. So rewarding when the badgers leave the traps and head off into protected areas for another year, though.
#badgers
#cheshireBadgerVaccinationProgramme

First day out surveying a big new area we will be vaccinating badgers in later this year.
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First meeting of the year of our badger vaccination group.
Always seems a moment when you stop congratulating each other on the last year's achievements and start planning for the new season. Hopefully at some point we will become redundant and the silent rhythms of the night can go on undisturbed by our presence but for as long as the cull goes on we will be out doing our bit to keep little lads like this safe.
#CheshireBadgerVaccinationProgramme
#Badgers

Badger prints in the snow at one of our vaccination sites.
#CheshireBadgerVaccinationProgramme
#Badgers