A YOUNG badger was trapped in an illegal snare in Holmfirth.
And police believe it was the work of badger baiters, who are causing major problems in the Huddersfield area.
West Yorkshire Police have now launched Operation Meles – a big crackdown on the men who catch badgers to fight with dogs.
The snared badger was released by animal welfare officers.
Det Con Brian Butterworth, the police wildlife officer in Kirklees, said: “It is a big concern and it is getting worse.
“Badger baiting is a massive problem in South Yorkshire and we are now finding these men are crossing the borders into our area to ply their trade.
“The badger we found close to the river at Sands, Holmfirth, yesterday was caught in an illegal snare.
“There are badger setts in that area and we have no doubt the snare was set to deliberately trap a badger, which can then be thrown into a fight with dogs.
“Operation Meles is a new bid to get more intelligence on this evil practice.
“It does go on in many areas, and not just in rural areas. And there is a lot of money wagered on badger fights.
“There are thousands of badgers in setts across Kirklees and we want information from the public to help protect them from those who regard it as a sport.”
Sue Shaw, who chairs the Kirklees Badger Protection Group, said: “We get a number of calls from people worried about badgers.
“These men seek to dig out the badgers from their setts and put them into fights with dogs, with people betting on the outcome.
“We had calls only a few weeks ago about an entire sett at Ravensthorpe that had been dug out.
“We can only guess what had happened to the badgers.”
The Government has been considering a cull of badgers in parts of the UK because they are thought to be carriers of bovine TB. There are no plans to cull badgers this year, but there have been moves to start a pilot cull in south west England next year.
Anyone with information should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 11 or Det Con Butterworth on 07900 276515.
