Tory Students’ ‘Badger Culling Social’ Outrages Animal Rights Group
The League Against Cruel Sports said the event at the University of York was “not very funny” and “made light of a national scandal”
One of Britain’s biggest animal rights groups has criticised a Tory students’ society for holding a fancy dress barcrawl - themed around the badger cull.
The League Against Cruel Sports said the event at the University of York was “not very funny” and “made light of a national scandal”.
Students will split into two groups - shooters and badgers - at tomorrow night’s event before chasing each other through the historic city in their “best country attire”.
Its description on Facebook said: “After the joint social with the Labour Club last week, we did not want people accusing us of faltering on our conservative views.
“That is why this Wednesday the York Tories will be hosting a new type of social… a badger culling social!
“Committee will be dressed as badgers and everyone else will be dressed as shooters, wearing the best country attire they can find.”
A spokesman for the University of York Conservative and Unionist Association said the event simply provided a “fun environment” for members.
But the League Against Cruel Sports did not see the funny side over the cull, which has slaughtered more than 1,400 of the creatures in Gloucestershire, Somerset and Dorset this season .
The Mirror revealed none of the animals in last year’s cull were tested for bovine TB - the outbreak of which is the reason they were shot - despite the exercise costing £7,500 per dead badger.
League campaigns director Tom Quinn said: “This is probably meant to be a harmless joke but it’s not very funny.
“People around the country have been working hard to expose the cruelty and lack of scientific rigour behind the badger cull, which has led to thousands of healthy and apparently protected animals being slaughtered.
“Perhaps they should do a bit of studying on bovine TB before making light of such a national scandal.”
A spokesman for the student association said: “The York Tories Badger Culling social, like all of our socials, is designed to provide a fun and inclusive social environment for all members.
“It is a simple bar crawl social, and is one of many socials of this kind occurring across British universities.
“It is in no way a reflection of individual opinion and it is not our intention to cause offence to anyone.
“We enjoy incorporating current affairs into our society in a fun and safe way and this Badger Culling social will not be an exception.”