562.000 Badgers in the UK -The Fantasy

 

AI picks up on known data it can  pick up from online sources. That makes it inaccurate in many fields. with foxes and badgers it takes info as unbiased from pro hunting groups who, since the 1940s have knowingly anmd proveably lied about population numbers.

It also states that badger numbers have increased since the species became 'protected' in the 1970s. It alsdo uses the figure of 247,000 badgers having been killed in the cull whereas a more accurate figure  would be 300,000  so:

"Recent estimates suggest the UK badger population is roughly 485,000–562,000 individuals, with England and Wales holding about 485,000 badgers and Great Britain overall around 562,000."

Is a somewhat fantasy figure and does not take into account (as there are no published figures) badgers shot, snared or otherwise illegelly "disposed of" by farmers and badgermen or badger baiting which, because the badger numbers have gotten so low in Wales, have made baiters move into England. It also does not take into account the many badgers killed on roads each year (a fluid figure) or accidents such as falls from cliffs, veterinary euthanasia of badgers for minor reasons etc..

As casual internet search has many thinking "Why are all these people making such a fuss -there are hundreds of thousands of badgers!"

This is why education of the public is important. It is no good saying after badgers have become near extinct "Well I read on the internet there wer plenty!" The Badger Trust and many local badger groups are failing in getting the message across and educating people just as a good few supposedly contactable in emergenies are not.  Forget about building your commercial empire or just being a badger fan; we all have to push and fight while educating and that does not make you friends but a lot of enemies so the question is how commited are you?

How Big Is Bristol's Urban Badger Population.

 

AI analysis can be useful and I have tried this out recently with trying to estimate the Bristol fox population. In that analysis I gave the figure of 238 positive fox sightings: the 'sightings' were of dead foxes so it could not be disputed that they were the same fox seen by 2-3 people at different times.

For trying to guage Bristol's urban badger population I used similar reports -confirmed dead badgers since, again, it could not be argued that this is not an accurate figure. I post here the results noting that the final estimate would have to be minus the 85 known dead badgers.

My actual estimate on the total living badger population in Bristol would be around 200 so definitely under threat in the City.

Based on national badger density data (mean social group size ≈6.74 and ~485,000 badgers across England & Wales), 85 confirmed sightings in Bristol would most likely correspond to an estimated local population of roughly 50–120 badgers, depending on sett density and detection probability.

How This Estimate Is Derived

Because no Bristol‑specific population model exists in the search results, the estimate must be inferred from national‑level ecological data and typical badger social structure.

1. National Badger Density Benchmarks

• England & Wales total population: ~485,000 badgers (95% CI: 391,000–581,000). University of Exeter
• Mean social group size (per main sett): 6.74 ± 0.63 badgers.
• Social group sizes vary widely by landscape type (2.67–7.92). Urban/peri‑urban areas like Bristol tend to fall in the mid‑range.

2. Interpreting 85 Sightings

Sightings ≠ individuals. Urban badger studies show:

• A single social group may generate 10–30+ sightings due to repeated foraging routes and camera trap recaptures.
• Detection probability in urban areas is high, meaning sightings often overrepresent the number of individuals.

3. Converting Sightings to Population

A reasonable inference model:

• If 1 social group ≈ 6–8 badgers,
• And each group may generate 15–25 sightings,
• Then 85 sightings likely represent 4–10 social groups.

Thus:

$$\text{<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Estimated population</span></span>}<span\; style="font-size:\; medium;"><span\; style="font-family:\; inherit;">\approx </span></span><span\; style="font-size:\; medium;"><span\; style="font-family:\; inherit;">(</span></span>\mathrm{<span\; style="font-size:\; medium;"><span\; style="font-family:\; inherit;">4</span></span>}\text{<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to </span></span>}\mathrm{<span\; style="font-size:\; medium;"><span\; style="font-family:\; inherit;">10</span></span>}<span\; style="font-size:\; medium;"><span\; style="font-family:\; inherit;">)</span></span><span\; style="font-size:\; medium;"><span\; style="font-family:\; inherit;">\times </span></span><span\; style="font-size:\; medium;"><span\; style="font-family:\; inherit;">(</span></span>\mathrm{<span\; style="font-size:\; medium;"><span\; style="font-family:\; inherit;">6</span></span>}\text{<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to </span></span>}\mathrm{<span\; style="font-size:\; medium;"><span\; style="font-family:\; inherit;">8</span></span>}<span\; style="font-size:\; medium;"><span\; style="font-family:\; inherit;">)</span></span><span\; style="font-size:\; medium;"><span\; style="font-family:\; inherit;">=</span></span>\mathrm{<span\; style="font-size:\; medium;"><span\; style="font-family:\; inherit;">24</span></span>}\text{<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to </span></span>}\mathrm{<span\; style="font-size:\; medium;"><span\; style="font-family:\; inherit;">80</span></span>}\text{<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> badgers</span></span>}$$

Given Bristol’s green corridors and known urban sett densities, the upper end is more plausible, giving a working estimate of 50–120 badgers.

Important Caveats

• This is an inference, not a direct census.

Have We Hit An Urban Wildlife Crisis Point?

 

After five decades of monitoring wildlife in Bristol, primary foxes and badgers, I have to say that I am very concerned.

In 1994/1995 the mage outbreak that hit Bristol's urban foxes devastated up the 94% of the population. That mange outbreak may well have been created but that is a question for another time.  The fox population eventually started recovering.

There is absolutely no doubt that since the 1990s drivers have gotten worse, speeding in city streets and narrow lanes is so common that few people even bother showing concern. Night time speeding is a problem everywhere but it seems almost normal across the City of Bristol. As a result more and more wildlife is dying: struck by cars and left for dead. When I showed the Fox and Badgers Death Register at the recent Wild Summit the comments were: "You hear about it but seeing the actual figures is staggering" and "Oh, that's awful".

Yet Bristol City Council refuses to even put up wildlife crossing signs and threaten those that do with legal action.

Added to this is the fact that there are very sick individuals who go out at night setting snares (two fox victims and an otter recorded so far).  Equally sick individuals go out out in all weather every night to shoot and kill wildlife -this shooting 'sport' is decimating not just fox populations (cubs and adults are killed with no interest whether a vixen killed will lead to orphaned cubs or even if the vixen is pregnant. All done with impunity even though the wildlife (and in some cases pets) are causing no problem.

We know that there are still local "badgermen" or shooters who will disp[ose of badgers "on the quiet" for farmers and others. Most badgers are dumped at the roadside and people ignore them as "road kill".

This all adds up so that, whatever you may hear from the countryside groups and pro hunt people (the latter every cub season spamming social media with tales of foxes killing pet ginger and white, black and white or elderly "much loved" cats) foxes are not -not- increasing in numbers. We have wildlife photographers from Wales visiting English towns because Welsh foxes are "non existent" thanks to decades of shooting, snaring and poisoning. 

Bristol's badger population may all be urbanbut it has to be remembered that what are now suburbs of the City were once small villages with their local badger setts and that means badgers have survived in these locations for more than a century. The threat to badgers does not just come from poisons and cars but the local authority. Aware and repeatedly informed of established badger sett territory Bristol City Council (a Green council) attempt to sell the land to developers when there is more than enough Brown Site areas to handle new housing.

Health wise we know more now than we did in 2020 as to what illnesses are affecting foxes and killing them (a small percentage compared to cars etc) but when it comes to badgers a block was placed on any post mortems being carried out under pretence of Health and Safety and risk from Bovine TB -all while official PMs WERE being carried out on badgers.

The fact is that I would love to believe that foxes and badgers were not being seen on roads and reported because none were being killed. However, looking at the yearly total for each species in the Death Register as well as hearing reports from people who are no longer seeing their badgers and foxes I suspect that a crisis point has been reached. 

The British Trust for Ornithology did a mammal survey and concluded that foxes might need Red Listing (protection as a species under threat) and their figures along with those of others invbolved in wildlife work very strongly suggest that England has lost over 60% of its fox population. I believe that it is higher and the percentage growing by the day.

We are losing the hedgehog as well as up to 30 other species and with an estimated 300,000 badgers killed during the cull (remember that is just from the cull not cars or other illegal killings) I estimate the UK badger popu;lation has gone beyond a crisis point. An the Welsh Parliament want to wipe out their badgers now.

It is mind numbing that politicians just shrug at these facts while counting "donations" from farmers groups and lobbyists.  Concern for wildlife and the environment that were so hip, cool and trendy and a MUST promote in interviews in the 1990s to early 2000s is now "People need homes" and "We need to develop as a country" and 95% of the population shrug and sit in front of the TV not caring.

The 1860s, thanks to humans and hunting, etc. created a mass extinction of UK wildlife from foxes, deer, wild cats, hares and many other species. The answer was to import more of them from Europe to "continue the sport" and this time round "Fewer wildlife better for more development and building!"

"Why Don't You Run Fund Raisers?"

It is hard to explain to people that when it comes to wildlife the top priority is not "How much money can I get from this?"

 Wildlife work is not about making money. 

If there is a sick or injured badger then Sarah Mills (The Bristol Fox Lady/Bristol Wildlife Rescue)  is on hand and so long as she can keep donations coming in for the fuel costs etc. that is sorted. The mileage she covers in a couple of months  is staggering and in a year beyond staggering.   Once she has re-assessed needs then people can be updated for donations.

I have 8 trail cams if I ever need to keep a sett under survey or gather evidence of badger activity to protect the site in question from developers.  Travelling back and forth to a site is not going to be excessive in cost as opposed to rescue expenses.

I keep the Fox and Badger Death Register which just requires people to actually report deaths. 

It would be nice to raise money for wildlife crossing signs BUT the City Council and Highways have to approve these so I am still working on that side of things -if someone wants to pay me by the email or phone callit would be a pretty amount!

IF they give the go ahead for sign placement then funding would be needed for the signs as that is beyond the loose change in my pocket!

"Why not set up an online funds raiser?"  I have tried in the past to raise funds for research work BUT the fact that after 10 years of reminding people the PayPal donation button was therew...£00.00.    People like to know what the money they are throwing out at you is for and there is nothing you can hold up and say "This is what your money helped with."  

I am an old dinosaur of a naturalist and we never asked people for money in the past and the idea that people would contribute to DNA testing to look at the historical side of badgers and foxes is a tad silly as that woiuld require a lt of money that could go into rescue and health monitoring/treatment.

For road signs I may try an appeal next year but as I noted that needs official approval.

The Museum has no pre 1860s Badger Txidermy But It Has Found Out HOW the Badger Survived

 

One thing that was discovered was the reason why badgers in England survived  the centuries of melecide when felicide, vulpicide and wiping out of many other animals took place is surprising. It may form part of a paper I am working on.

I get people telling me that taxidermy is "sick" or "upsetting" as well as a few other complaints.

How do we know what the Dodo looks like? Or for that matter any anbimal, bird or aquatic species humans made extinct pre wide spread use of photography?  Illustrations -some not very good. It is very sad and I reserve comments about huntsmen here but taxidermy has made it very clear that modern wildlife books, TV and zoologists have just accepted dogma and have spent the period from 1900 lying to everyone.

What have we learnt/proven via taxidermy?

1.  That the red fox we see today is not the fox that has "always been here" but are descendents of European foxes imported by hunts for 'sport' (Brits exported red foxes to the United States and Australia for the same purpose).  

2.  There were three distinct types of fox in the UK and Ireland after the flooding of the area known as Doggerbank (the French or English Channel). The largest was bigger than an American coyote (taxidermies of both are kept at the Museum) and called the Greyhound or Mountrain fox and it was basically the British jackal/coyote.  The second was known as the Hill or Mastiff fox; not as big as the Greyhound fox but robust and sturdy in build. The third type was smaller and known as the Cur or Common fox and was living near to human habitation as the fox of today does. We call these Old Fox types.

3. We know that the wild cat people talk about preserving so much these days is a European hybrid and does not look anything like the Old wild cat of England, Scotland and Wales -Ireland also, despite all the arguments, had its own wild cat. We have examples of the later Scottish wild cat.

4.   We also know from taxidermy examples (see The Red Paper Canids for photographic examples) that coyote, jackals and wol;ves were kept and released by hunts. 

That is just four points but then you add over 50 of archival research and evidence gathering it proves everything noted above. Jackal and wolf hunts were well publicised events as foxes were hunted to extinction, reintroduced from Europe then hunted to the point of extinction again.

The research has shown that there was a major extinction even in British wildlife c the 1860s. It was at this point in time that Scottish zoologists and naturalists decided that the true Scottish wild cat went extinct. At the same time the Old fox types became extinct and thousands of foxes were imported each year to keep the 'sport' going. Hares, red squirrels, some deer species, birds and other animals became extinct or on the verge of extinction and the well publicised importantions from Europe began -although this seems to have started c 16th century/

All provable and documented in journals, books and papers from the time.

DNA testing of wildlife today resulting in European species DNA is pointless. Species examples in taxidermy pre 1860 are required and should show the difference in species; 8-10,000 years of separation from Continental Europe made the wildlife in Britain and Ireland unique island species and after the formation of Ireland from Britain that again produced unique island species.

We learn a lot from taxidermy and this is added to by the archival work so that we have a true picture of Britain and Ireland and not the dogma of today.

We are currently loising more and more species and all due to humans, as in the past, which makes you wonder what dogma will be brought in to shift the blame in 100 years when hedgehogs, foxes, badgers and other species are gone?

Taxidermy is important evidence and evidence that zoologists choose to ignore because it is factual and threatens their credibility.

Watch Badgers Now -in the 2030s They Will Be Near Extinct

I believe that we are currently looking at badgers in the British countryside becoming a rarity. Excluding the approximate 300,000 killed during the unscientific cull (and there is the threat of that starting up again at some point) and Wales not thinking of culling its badger population because they do not want to be "left out of the fun".  Bad animal husbandry is the main cause of bovine TB and we know (they were caught) of farmers selling bTB cattle they knew was infected.

Same with BSE infected cattle.

A Leicestershire farmer has been ordered to pay nearly £11,000 after repeatedly breaching the rules designed to protect animals from tuberculosis (TB).

 https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/farmer-repeatedly-breached-tb-rules-10803403

British investigators have confirmed that they are examining more than 50 cases where farmers and cattle dealers have allegedly used bogus identity documents to conceal cows' ages in order to sell them for human consumption. Last week the agriculture ministry admitted that 90,000 cattle have gone missing from its surveillance scheme. About 1,600 cows a year are still being diagnosed with BSE.

https://www.iatp.org/news/ten-new-cjd-cases-raise-fears-of-cattle-cull-fraud

Politicians in the Welsh Parliament are not interested in the countryside or wildlife and are following the example of the Labour Party in seeking farmers votes and donations and who cares about a few badgers? The shooters earn a fairly good amount killing badgers -both cubs and adults. So farmers get what they want (a cover up of bad farming practice), the politicians get what they want (farmers votes and donations) and the psychopaths get what they want: money to kill something.

Every night across the UK men and women don the cammo gear and go out with their rifles to just kill for fun. It is NOT a 'sport' but a pastime for someone who is mentally unwell. On some of their forums they even joke about shooting disguised foxes -disguised as ginger or tabby cats with collars. It has been going on a long time and it has made sure that the fox has declined by at least 60% in the UK. 

I think that the idea or "topped a badger last night -helped the local farmer out" followed by congratulations and "keep it low key though like the rest of us" says a lot.  There is still badger baiting going on with gangs having finished off badgers in Wales (as they have the fox) now crossing into England for their 'fun'.  There are still local "badger men" who are paid by farmers to kill off badgewrs "on the quiet".

When you see shooters say their group has "blue insurance coverage" it means that one of their group is a serving police officer.

'Sport' shooting should be banned and anyone requesting a fire arms licence should undergo psychological testing. Wanting to kill something for 'fun' is not normal. 

The official attitude to all of this appears to be "who cares?" -we have a government that has passed legislation to destroy green spaces and wildlife habitat including setts for money from developers.  Bristol City Council and Long Ashton Parish Council have both ignored the presenceof otters, badgers, foxes, badgers and nesting bird sites to get the developers money. 

At the moment we have an ever decreasing urban fox population (Bristol has lost over 230 foxes so far in 2026) and an urban badger population (over 80 deaths in 2026). How are they dying? Road vehicles and out of control speeding on city streets is the 95% killer. We have had snaring of at least two foxes and one otter plus several fox deaths by deliberate dog attacks.

While people sit back watching their TVs and guzzling pizza the elected local authority bodies as well as the government are ploughing up and putting buildings and "mini towns" on green site while there are masses of brown (old industrial) sites where building can take place but, of course, building on pretty looking land (which is not after you build over it) looks good when you are selling a scheme or property. 

I never thought, after all the work put into conservation from the 1970s on that in 2026 we would be in a worse state than in the 1950s when it comes to wildlife and the environment. 

As I found out at the recent Wild Summit the main reaction is "Oh, that is so sad. Nothing we can do,"

Conservationists we lost. You cannot sugar coat it the greed anbd money grubbing as well as morons with guns and cars have won out.

Badgers, foxes and hedgehogs as well as other spoecies are going to be victims in the latest extinction event (the last great one in the UK was the 1860s).

No. 86

 Known badger death number 86: Young sow (deceased) A38 off the road