CAMPAIGNERS are determined to continue protests and bring the badger cull to a halt in Gloucestershire before it is too far under way.
Badger patrols, secret spotters and searchlights, combined with a strong police presence, made for an electric first night of the cull as they raced to stop marksmen in their tracks.
Campaigners were at Eldersfield near Tewkesbury to patrol the cull zone on Wednesday morning, with a group in Newent last night, in an attempt to stop shooters.
More than 70 people from Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting (GABS) conducted wounded-badger patrols in the area, keeping to public footpaths and preparing to nurse any badgers that might have been shot.
Those in the patrols include teenage girls, mums, and office workers, happy to give up a good night's sleep to ensure injured badgers are helped.
Liz Gaffer, from GABS, said: "Quite a lot of people turned up for the patrols which is fantastic.
"I think the campaigns have seen a step up in the last few weeks after speculation about when the cull was going to start.
"Each patrol is about two to three hours. We are very keen to ensure we are not breaking the law.
"All we are doing is to help any injured or wounded badgers, and we will do it by patrolling public footpaths.
"We've had around 50 people who have asked to join us in the last few weeks, and I think this just demonstrates that a lot of people are angry about the cull.
"We will be doing this for as long as the cull is going ahead. The number of people who have showed up for the patrols just shows the level of support we have against the cull."
Terry Howard, from We Are Change Gloucestershire, was driving his four-by-four vehicle around the cull zone looking for shooters.
He said: "I can't believe the government has decided to do this. We already have quite a few people coming down for patrols. I will certainly try to stop the shooters if I do see any of them.
"The main thing about We Are Change is we want to stand up for the little guy, be that an individual or a badger."
Drew Pratten, from Stop the Cull, had men working around the clock looking for shooters in the cull zone.
Marksmen will take aim at more than 2,800 badgers in Gloucestershire over the next six weeks of the cull. The first phase of the cull started in north Somerset last week.
