By Isle of Wight Observer
East Cowes Town Council has refused requests to fund the removal of badgers from under a building in the town.
Badgers have been discovered living underneath the Parkside Pavilion Community Centre in East Cowes and have dug a set which they appear to be enjoying and thriving in.
However, Community Action IW, who occupy the property, are concerned about the possibility of the pavilion building becoming unstable and want the badgers gone.
At a meeting of East Cowes Town Council, Community Action submitted a grant application request for £4,000 to have the badgers removed.
All Councillors agreed that the badgers must not be harmed, and the Town Clerk reported that the intention was for the animals to be removed and rehoused by a badger expert. It was not stated where the badgers would be relocated to.
The council meeting refused the grant request, stating that the council had limited funding and that its grants were for positive community activities. Furthermore, the property was not in the ownership of East Cowes Town Council.
Cllr Love said: “We need to find a way of coexisting with wildlife as humans continue to expand, against the advice of global ecologists, into areas of countryside and natural beauty. The badgers have clearly been in residence for some time, and I hope our new Biosphere status will see intensive housing developments on green landscapes reduced.
“I felt it was not appropriate for East Cowes Town Council to be the organisation that provided funding to evict these badgers, who might have been in residence for many years and most probably have an interactive relationship with the community. We should embrace our rich abundance of wildlife.”
