ANTI-CULL campaigners have expressed anger after a badger was found shot in the abdomen inside the West Somerset cull zone.

The female, dubbed ‘badger 41’, was found shot near Sampford Brett on September 15, and was taken to Secret World Wildlife Rescue near Burnham.

Veterinary surgeon at the charity Dr Elizabeth Mullineaux said the shot had ‘totally missed the target area of the chest’, meaning it would have been unlikely to result in the badger’s immediate death.

However, the National Farmers’ Union says there is “no evidence” it was killed as part of the cull. Defra said it had made changes to make the culls more humane and effective after an Independent Expert Panel ruled that last year’s culls were “inhumane”.

Dominic Dyer, of the Badger Trust and Care for the Wild, said the death of ‘badger 41’ was “appalling, cruel and unacceptable”.

He added: “The Government assured us the cull would be carried out more humanely this year but within a week of it starting here’s a badger that has clearly suffered.

“The bullet missed its vital organs so it would have taken several minutes to die. This is appalling, cruel and unacceptable.

“How many more badgers are there dying in the same way, without ever being found?”

Members of Somerset Badger Patrol said they were “deeply shocked”.

A spokesperson added: “We had no confidence in the Government’s assurance that the shooters would be better trained this year.

“Right from the beginning, independent experts warned that trying to shoot badgers at night was very risky. However, the NFU and Defra have pushed ahead.

However, an NFU spokesman said: “There is no evidence that this badger died as part of the cull.

“We would suggest that it is handed over to the proper authorities in order that they can do a post mortem examination to determine the cause of death.

“All badgers shot as part of the cull have been accounted for.”