ROCK legend and animal campaigner Dr Brian May was in West Somerset this week to show his support for campaigners fighting to stop the Government's ongoing badger cull. He also unexpectedly found himself helping to change a tyre on a car belonging to a member of the Somerset Badger Patrol after it appeared to have been deliberately punctured while parked in Washford on Monday night. Police are investigating a report of criminal damage and Dr May said officers had been extremely helpful. He also praised the dedication of the patrol volunteers and said they were making a real difference in the field. As well as meeting members of the Somerset Badger Patrol he dropped in to Camp Badger near Halse which is being used as a temporary base by activities opposed to the cull. Dr May is one of the leading opponents to the licensed shooting of badgers through his charity the Save Me Trust. The trust rescues and rehabilitates wildlife at its Surrey headquarters and is calling for a programme of vaccination rather than culling to eradicate bovine TB. A statement issued on behalf of Dr May and the trust said: "It is fantastic that these people are out at night to patrol and take care of any wounded badgers. "Many of the wounded will be cubs just a few months old and we wanted to say thank you to these amazing people who are protecting them. "We spent some time down there last year to meet the night walkers who give up their sleep, work and time to care for our wildlife." The Somerset Badger Patrol meets in Williton's Killick Way car park between 7pm and 8pm every evening before heading into the cull zone looking for injured badgers and monitoring shooting activity. "The badger patrols are making a difference . . . their numbers are growing despite intimidation," Dr May said. The cull is scheduled to run for another four weeks with marksmen licensed to kill up to 785 badgers as part of a Government bid to try and curb the spread of tuberculosis in cattle. Environment secretary Elizabeth Truss, who took over from Owen Paterson earlier this year, said the cull was part of a wider strategy designed to eliminate the disease completely. Badgers can carry tuberculosis and many in the farming industry blame them for spreading the disease to cattle. Opponents to the cull blame poor farm management for the spread of TB and say there is no scientific proof that killing badgers will curb the disease. They want to see a comprehensive vaccination scheme of both badgers and cattle across the country. Photos: Somerset Photo News