Badgergate

No, I'm not commenting on the stupid exploits of our anti-science Environment Secretary, Mr Paterson. This is an actual badger gate. After the woodland at the nature reserve was clear-felled during World War II it was replanted in the 1950s by the Forestry Commission. To prevent damage to the young trees from rabbits (then a very healthy population in the surrounding fields prior to the introduction of Myxomatosis) a fine mesh wire fence was erected around the two main woods. However, badgers that had thriving setts within the woods were strong enough to burrow under the fence or break through it, letting the rabbits in. So...a number of these heavy badger gates were set into the fence where badger tracks crossed it. Badgers were strong enough to push them open, but rabbits could not get through. A couple of them are still intact, 50 years later, though the fence has long since rusted away, and they still have the same badger tracks passing nearby!