badger

Many species are legally protected, such as badgers, bats and great crested newts, and Natural England has to issue a licence before any work can take place that could harm them.

It's a difficult discussion, because progressives are already constantly badgered by right-wing accusations that they're an "elite" who "looks down" at Trump voters as ignoramuses.

However, the council had had to wait for a licence from Natural England before the work could be carried out because badgers were a protected species, they added.

A leading vet said Sir Brian's findings could not be viewed in isolation, while a farmer who has lost 500 of his herd to the disease said badgers "do contribute" to the bTB problem.

“We saw a badger and a fox the other day.”