Banbury area woman finds decapitated badger head on public footpath

Alice Hingley contacted the Banbury Guardian with her concerns after finding the severed badger's head on the footpath in a field near her home village of Mollington.

She recalled the incident and said: "I was on my daily hour of exercise around the fields behind Mollington when I made a horrific discovery.

"The severed head of a badger was placed directly in the middle of the footpath with no body or signs of trauma around it suggesting the act was intentionally committed.

"The head was clean cut so I assume it was not decapitated by natural means (eg a predator).

"As a vegan and animal rights activist, this was very upsetting to me and I was incredibly distressed. However, I decided it best to leave it and went on my way.

"I intended to leave the ordeal in my past, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I expressed my concern in the local village Facebook page."

Alice sent the Banbury Guardian photographic evidence of the decapitated badger head, but due to their graphic nature they were not published.

The incident left Alice questioning if the discovery was a 'silly joke gotten out of hand' or part of a 'greater conspiracy.'

Alice did not report the incident to the authorities as she was unsure what organisation or group to report it to.

The Banbury Guardian contacted officials with the Oxfordshire Badger Group.

Julia Hammett, chair of the Oxfordshire Badger Group, said: "This vile act is a wildlife crime and members of the public should report any incidents like this to the police on 101 ,the Badger Trust and the Oxfordshire Badger Group at [email protected].

"We receive reports of badger sightings, setts and wildlife crime in our area, and need the public to help in this way to protect Oxfordshire's badgers."

Oxfordshire Badger Group has been working and speaking up for badgers and their habitats for more than 30 years.

In 2019 they launched a successful pilot vaccination scheme. At the beginning of 2020 they became a registered charity.

Craig Fellowes, a wildlife crime officer and trainer with the Badger Trust, said: "Always report suspected criminal activity against badgers to the police on 999 if the incident is ongoing. and the suspects are present.

"Report it on 101 if the incident has taken place, and no suspects are present, or online if appropriate. Always obtain an incident number

"In addition to the police we would always ask that the incident be reported to the Badger Trust as well. Include the police incident number in the report and this can be done by https://www.badgertrust.org.uk/report"The police and Badger Trust need the public's help. Please take the time to report incidents."

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