I have only ever once seen a wild badger in my life that was actually alive, mostly and sadly they are seen regularly at the side of the road. Not a lot of people realise that they have these astonishing creatures living on their doorsteps
General information
European Badgers are part of the Mustelid family and are easily recognisable from their trademark features, which include two parallel black strips that run the full length of their white face, this is likely an evolutionary trait to dissuade predators, however in modern Britain there are no animals capable of predating on adult Badgers.
They are equipped with powerful coarse claws which can dig through compacted surfaces which allow them to dig out their homes, they also have very poor eyesight and instead rely on a heightened sense of smell to forage for food, they are capable of smelling and distinguishing hundreds of unique scents in any given area, their sense of smell is roughly 800 times more adept than that of a Humans.
Whilst Badgers are one of the largest mammals in the UK you are unlikely to ever see one in the wild, they are notoriously elusive creatures that are Crespuscular (active in twilight) and nocturnal, they spend the daylight hours within their burrows which are called Setts and the Setts may be made up of complex tunnels/multi-level systems. Once daylight has disappeared they emerge from their setts where they will proceed to groom and graze for food, their diet consists mainly of Earthworms, insects and Fruits, though Badgers are also opportunistic feeders and will predate on small Mammals such as Hedgehogs and Rats if the situation arises.
During the Winter Months Badgers will lead a more sedentary life where they will focus on reducing their energy expenditure during periods of reduced feeding opportunities, during this period their body temperature may reduce slightly which is a common trait within the Mustelid family, they do not however Hibernate and will venture outside of their Setts during bouts of mild weather.
Social Behaviours & Reproduction
European Badgers are highly sociable animals that prefer to live in the company of anywhere from two to twenty-four other Badgers within their Setts, they form tight-knit social groups however they have not been observed to be overly aggressive to Badgers outside of their perceived social group, this has raised the question of whether Badgers live their lives devoted to a singular social group or if there is a larger social group of several Setts in any given territory, from a point of view relating to genetics a dynamic social group of multiple Setts would yield more valuable offspring as the likelihood of Incestuous offspring would reduce.As the European Badger is nocturnal there has been very little research done in to the social dynamic of the group within their underground Setts, from the research that has been carried out it is generally believed that the group will likely be led as a Matriarchy with one female burdened with the task of breeding.
This is not to say that other females within the group are incapable of breeding and there have been various reports of studies in to captive badgers that other females may practise Infanticide of young, it is currently unclear whether this is due to a rebel against the dominance hierarchy or if it is a practise carried out to prevent the increase of the Setts population from occurring.The dominance hierarchy of males is even less understood as female Badgers have quite complex Oestrus cycles, they generally go into Oestrus several times per year and they can hold fertilised eggs, to ensure that she only has one litter per year she is capable of delayed implantation, this means that her litter has the potential to be sired by several different Males and may even include males outside of the social group within the Burrow.
Genetic studies are currently being undertaken by several universities in the UK to ascertain whether Badgers can avoid inbreeding, if they actively choose to mate with multiple partners to produce varied offspring and, whether there is a clear dominance hierarchy system between males and females of one or several social groups.
Once the litter has been conceived the female will gestate for up to 50 days and will only begin the gestation process during the height of Winter to give birth in February, she will give birth to 1-3 cubs on average, however she may yield as many as 5 on rare occasions, they will emerge from the safety of the Sett after a period of 8 weeks and will eventually wean from their mothers after 4-5 months has passed. Life as Badger Cub isn’t all smooth sailing however, unlike most other social Mammals that make their offspring the centre of attention and choose to prioritise them, aside from their mothers Badgers instead largely ignore the Cubs meaning the Cubs must integrate themselves in to the social structure.Habitat & Distribution
Within the United Kingdom the European Badger is widely distributed throughout England, Wales and Ireland, they are significantly scarcer in Scotland and are not present on the majority of the UK’s small offshore Islands. Current estimates put the UK’s Badger population at roughly 300,000 individuals and since the implementation of protection for Badger Setts their population has been steadily rising for the past decade.
Their preferred habitat consists of Woodlands, Open fields and Embankments, they are also becoming increasingly common in large open gardens near or within the countryside, as the size of Cities is increasing the Badgers habitat is shrinking, much like the Urban Fox, the Urban Badger is on the rise.
If you are an animal lover and are interested in attracting Badgers to your garden you will need to ensure that there is a gap large enough for a Badger to fit through your perimeter fence, to entice them a good choice of food is Meaty Cat food, Raw Chicken and other lean Meats, generally Badgers prefer to eat in place so it may be better to leave various sizes of food around from small to large, Badgers and Foxes share a similar diet and Foxes will prefer to remove larger chunks of food and eat them in a more secluded area such as their Den, by varying food you will likely entice a wider variety of wildlife to your Garden.
It should however be stated that attracting Badgers to your garden does have its risks, if your garden is large and suitable enough a Badger or Badgers may choose to form a Sett, as their Setts are protected by law you will be unable to remove them unless you can prove that they may cause extensive damage to your property, if you have small children and pets it is advisable to avoid allowing Badgers to live on your property, they can be quite territorial and their claws have the potential to induce quite nasty injuries.Threats
For hundreds of years Badgers have faced a multitude of cruelty and persecution with them remaining today as one of the most persecuted species despite having one of the highest levels of law protection. Every year thousands of badgers are victims of wildlife crime due to blood sport and development concerns.
In 1992 the Protection of Badgers Act came into place which gave them protection from cruelty and interference of both the individuals and their Setts. Despite the protection, every year thousands of Badgers face horrific deaths due to acts of cruelty and illegal use of machinery in legal activities for development and farming. The most common form of wildlife crime involves development related, farming related, land clearance, shooting, baiting, poisoning, trapping, interfering with the Setts and gassing.
There is legal protection for both Badgers and their Setts from any intentional cruelty. However, the protection sadly does not mean that Badgers are safe with thousands still injured and killed illegally every year with few successful prosecutions.
The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 does allow for licenses to be applied for many purposes that include preventing damage to property, these licenses allow for the person to interfere with a Sett and close it. There are beneficial purposes for the license that allows for science, education and conservation that Zoos can tag and mark Badgers, disease prevention, land drainage, archaeology and controlling Foxes that will protect livestock, game and wildlife. There are cases where licenses are issued to allow for the culling of Badger with only a handful of these licenses handed out each year as a last resort.
There are two forms of crimes surrounding Badgers that are either malicious crimes or negligence crimes. Malicious crimes are those that intentionally injure, kill, or destroy a Sett during any illegal activity for hunting or enjoyment. A Negligence crime is that where a crime is caused unintentionally whilst performing legal activities such as building developments.
Below are details and photographs that readers may find upsetting but I feel needs to be covered to raise awareness to the suffering and cruelty these animals face.
Malicious Crimes
Snaring- this has been used for many centuries as a way of catching wild animals that leads to their eventual death. A snare looks like a wire noose and the intention is to catch the animal around the neck to immobilise them however more often or not legs and other body parts are usually caught. Although snares are not illegal, the intentional snaring of a Badger is. In the UK snares are used mostly on farms and shooting estates as their form of pest control.
Shooting- during the cull season Badgers are legally allowed to be shot under licence however outside of this season both within and outside of cull zones is illegal. In relation to shooting lamping is often directly linked. Lamping involves using a high-powered spotlight to confuse the animal that is then either shot or a dog is used to kill them.
Badger baiting- Sadly, there is a huge popularity to Badger baiting in recent times. Terrier dogs are used to dig and disturb Badger Setts where they are sent down into the Sett with radio collars on to locate Badgers. This signal is picked up above ground and they will then dig down into the Sett to capture the animal.
**WARNING** disturbingly the Badger is forced to fight against large powerful dogs and sometimes more than one until the Badger is overpowered and killed by the dogs themselves or beaten to death by the offenders. It is a point to make to be clear that the Badgers are not the only victims, dogs are also innocent in this. Sadly, they suffer horrific images from the Badger’s sharp claws and teeth and they are not given veterinary treatment. The dogs are either abandoned due to their injuries, killed if they are too badly injured or self-treated by the owners.Read about Pudding the dog that survived badger baiting Here
Negligence crimes
Forestry operations- when work is taking place within Woodland it is not uncommon for them to come into conflict with Badgers and their Setts. It may be an offence under the Protection Act for work that involves felling, removing Timber, cultivating and quarrying. When work is to be carried out near a Sett it is suggested by the Badger trust that a 20-metre protection zone is put in place that will protect the tunnels underground from collapsing. If work must be carried out within the protection zone they will be required to obtain a license. Even during the breeding season any work carried out will require a license from Natural England or Natural Resources Wales.
Sett Interference- Agricultural operations carried out around a Badger sett will require a license, when ploughing and harvesting of crops a protection zone of 30 metres is suggested by the Badger trust which should avoid damage or disturbance to the Setts. Ploughing is then also limited to a depth of 30cm to avoid any structural damage to the Sett itself.
Development- When developers apply for planning permission they are required to be aware of protected sites and species where their development project is to take place and whether they are required to obtain a license or not.
Badger Culling
DEFRA announced in September 2017 that it will continue and expand the culling of Badgers across the UK with 11 new zones and up to 33,000 Badgers set for death in just 2017 alone. At the end of this year 48,000 Badgers will have been killed because of this cull. There is a huge opposition to the cull from IEP assessments, parliamentary debates and further extensive scientific reports. The government as always has still allowed for the badger cull to continue. This means every taxpayer in the UK is funding the £50 million budget with absolutely no choice. This is something I despise.
Bovine TB
Bovine Tuberculosis is a highly contagious Zoonotic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium bovis (M.bovis). Forming in the lymph nodes of the animals effected it causes symptoms of coughing, fever, dramatic weight loss, Diarrhoea and eventually leads to death.
The primary transmission of Bovine TB is from Cattle to Cattle however it has been reported and found in both domestic and non-domestic animals including Hares, Goats, Sheep, Horses, Pigs, Dogs, Cats, Foxes, Badgers and many more.
To date, there has only been one study that was commissioned by the government in the transmission of bTB from Badgers to Cattle, this took place between 1998-2006 and is noted as one of the most comprehensive studies into the condition. The study is called The randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) and the outcome of the study was clear that the data found showed that the culling of Badgers made no significant contribution to Cattle TB control measures in Britain.
To date, there is no significant scientific evidence to support Badger culling as a control method, with the government continuously undermining expert advice and their own scienfitic research it has been massively misinterpreted by many in favour groups to the cull meaning that experts go unheard. When studying the evidence and reports, it is so important to distinguish between the independent reports and the reports conducted by organisations to further the cull zones that gives a huge leeway for bias and misinterpretation of the data.
How you can help
It is time to take a stand against the cull there are many ways in which you can get involved
- Write to your local MP is one of the best ways to keep the cull at the forefront of their minds. It is also very easy to write to local politicians with a click google search.
- Donating as always provides vital funds to a small charity like The Badger Trust that are making huge impacts on badgers. Most of their donations are used during the cull season to keep the badgers a media priority. They also provide vital funds to on the ground initiatives.
- Join a local Badger support group that will help on the front line monitoring setts, help take part in vaccination programmes and provide an outreach for their community
- Vitally report extinction and dead setts that were active prior to culling Here
Amavis Final Thoughts
As a huge animal lover and an advocate to support native species here in the UK it destroys me that for whatever reason an animal can be easily persecuted and branded the sole problem to what has been proven to be wrong. The cull is both inhumane and ineffective yet with all the power and money behind them the government can literally do what they want. If there was enough evidence to support the cull then I for one would stand by their decision but in this case I cannot. The cruelty these animals face at the hands of humans is disgusting and despicable and I can only hope that one day these blood sports will be dealt with tougher penalties.Content Sources
For more UK Native Species check out:
The Puffin
The Hedgehog
The Fox