Update: the BBC ran a article on the albino badgers on 11 December 2025. It also appeared on BBC Spotlight News on 12 December.
You can read the full article by Marcus White here – Parkland housing plan ‘threatens albino badgers’.
This follows on from the blog post shared below.
Millground Meadow between Beaminster and Netherbury isn’t just a green space – it’s home to one of the UK’s rarest sights: a regular population of albino badgers.
Rarely sighted, these shy creatures are few in number but have been spotted in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and in Dorset between Beaminster and Netherbury.
Beaminster first grew attached to Alberto, an injured albino badger, which was rescued back in 2015, but he’s no longer alone. These pale, pink-eyed badgers now rely on the meadow’s quiet, undisturbed habitat to survive – occasionally visiting the houses dotted along this stretch of the River Brit as the photographs show.
Badgers and other wildlife were the winners in the Covid lockdowns, taking advantage of the resultant peace and quiet to explore and thrive in their reclaimed territories. It now looks like that peace could be shattered forever..
The proposed Parnham housing development will bulldoze the meadow area to erect a dozen £1.25m town houses along with a £2m road bridge across the river – threatening to destroy this fragile environment. But these rare creatures are not mentioned in the Parnham application which appears to be lacking in up-to-date ecological surveys.
To see the plans and comment head to to the Dorset Panning Portal.