Jon, I find badger-baiting and the like obscene and disgusting. Animal life all over is still persecuted. Here in Canada, animals are run by snowmobilers for sport, and similar atrocities occur everywhere.
The number of animals taken to supply Chinese medicines is astounding. The RCMP just got one group in Alberta, but there are many they don't catch. Bear paws and gall bladders are bringing thousands of dollars. Elk are now being farmed for the horns and velvet for sale to Chinese pharmacists and this may take some of the pressure off the wild population.