There was an active badger group in Bristol run by Mike Collins but I believe after his sudden death it just became defunct. At least after a month of trying to locate the group (linked on a Bristol RSPCA page -still is) Avon Wildlife Trust, RSPCA and anyone else I contacted had no idea where the group was. So, in 1994 I set up the Bristol Badger Group.
The fact that very few people were interested in badgers made me realise why the old group had gone. Yet, since 1994 any injured or dead badgers got reported to Somerset Badger Watch or Badger Watch UK (the former are helpful but the latter has been less so). It means that we get only a partial picture of badger deaths in the City and County. Monitoring badger deaths is important especially when it comes to any sow being killed on the roads during cub season; cubs need to be located as soon as possible.
Here is something that people do not understand:a sow badger is obviously lactating when she died. You search and find the badger sett and it is obvious that there are cubs within. Most people think "Get the cubs out and to a rescue so they can be cared for" but, no. As DEFRA and Natural England will tell you with all the "following orders" attitude of true jobs worths, you cannot rescue the cubs from the sett. That is called interfering with the protected sett of a protected species. If the cubs come out they can be rescued. If they stay in the sett and starve to death -tough.
How insane is that? DO NOT interfere with the sett and rescue cubs because they and the sett are protected and yet 300,000 badgers ('protecte4d species') have been killed over bad science that has achieved nothing but pushed the species toward extinction.
Rescuers use different tricks including putting the dead sow near the sett to attract the cubs and make them leave so they can be rescued or, more often, place food near the sett. Wildlife rescue and treatment in the UK is basic at times.
We do not go out checking setts in urban areas for a very good reason and that is 1) we have locals who keep the badgers and setts under observation (which has helped stop three developers in the last year destroying setts) and they report on any health issues. And, 2) poking around and area attracts unwanted attention -as I found out in my previous wildlife work. Locals keep their setts secret and although I have mapped where many are I do not visit. Allow the badgers to continue without interference and get on with their lives -it is how they have survived in urban areas into the 21st century and although cars take their toll the badgers continue.
In a safe area -as far as badgers are concerned- you will see them in the early dawn hours as well as at dusk and I have had a number of people contact me over concerns that "badgers are out in daylight". Badgers move around woodland and forests during the day so in a clan area why not?
I should explain that whereas a family group of foxes is known as a "leash" a family group of badgers are called a "clan" and even a "tribe" but clan is more commonly used.
We had a situation in a known clan area over the last weekend when someone reported a badger wandering around gardens. I was only told later in the day. Apparently, this was posted over the various Face Book pages and someone eventually turned up and carted the badger off in, of all things, a cat carrier. We have no idea whether the fox was injured or sick and we have no idea who the person was who collected it or where the "safer place" was that it was being taken. Why? Because no one asked "Who are you?" or "Where are you taking the badger?"
An injured badger could have been dealt with by wildlife rescuer Sarah Mills who is well known in Bristol but she was not contacted. I was not contacted. RSPCA apparently not contacted nor were Bristol's Animal Rescue Centre (ARC deals mainly with cats and dogs). We do know that Face Book groups are monitored by anti fox and anti badger people so that is a major concern.
The other concern is that the badger may have been injured or ill and was taken and dumped "some place safer" only to die slowly. The public should not interfere with wildlife but contact those who are able to deal with animals.
Four days on we still have no idea what happened to that badger. The fact that it was taken in a cat carrier indicates something was wrong with it -a cat carrier would be shredded very quickly by a healthy badger. Vets do not report wildlife they treat (put to sleep) so it is possible this badger faced that fate. We just do not know.
Where ever you live if you have concerns about a badger contact your local badger group and do not publicise it across the internet.
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