Badgers in Bristol never cease to amaze me -rather like foxes. I have posted before that Bristol as it is today is nothing like it used to be; over the years it has sprawled out and taken in many villages such as Bedminster, Hotwells, Stapleton, Knowle, Whitchurch, Clifton village, Patchway, Frenchay, Eastville, Stapleton and so on. As seen in this 18th century map.
Each of those villages would be separated by countryside, woods and so on and there would have been badger setts that were local. As Bristol expanded so badger territories were built on until we have what we see today (interestingly, when I grew up and well into the 1980s before the council plan of moving people around, you could tell what area of Bristol people came from by their accents -developed when villages were mainly isolated as all travel was by horse or horse and cart or on foot until bus services arrived.)
The same applies with foxes whose traditional territories we built over. Another interesting fact is that while our Old type British foxes were wiped out through hunting -as were other species- I was always puzzled as to how badgers survived. Basically, to combat mange which hunts brought into the UK by importing European foxes, badgers were moved around the country as they were seen as clean and their sanitary work supposedly kept areas mange free. I have to say that I doubt badger movement stopped mange in foxes but the 'experts' on foxes were only expert on knowing how to kill animals. But the movement probably saved badgers who were killed (cubs and adults) for bounties or 'fun'.
The 1970s protection granted the species (foxes were on the decline but, you know, 'sport' and all that) meant anyone who care gave a sigh of relief. But they were then used as a scapegoat species in bovine TB to cover up the major problems in animal husbandry. So a protected species became a good money earner for louts with guns and centre of political corruption for votes and focus of very bad 'science'. Books with information on badgers by non UK writers will point out that badgers are recognised as a "scapegoat species" but in the UK -"who cares? Love Island is on TV!"
That there are a good population of badger clans in some of the most built up and worst traffic areas on Bristol is surprising. We see losses (68 as of 14 07 25) but they continue to exist despite Bristol City Council (Labour and Green Party) stating they have no interest in taking any action to protect them as "we don't have the budget". The national HQ of the Green Party fobbed off the subject by re-directing the email to its City Council which responded "too busy".
"We are so proud of our environment and wildlife" is a slogan all politicians and groups use in Bristol while ignoring the huge number of deaths (not so good in publicity).
Today, Sarah Mills, known better as "the Bristol Fox Lady" was asked to help a fox that had fallen into a sunken garden but could not get out. It was reported today but had fallen into the garden last Thursday (10th July!!). It took digging to remove it from a rockery and a quick trip to a vet for first aid then a 100 mile there and back trip to Vale Wildlife Hospital where the badger was checked and needs feeding, rehydration before being returned.
The problem is that it is in a heavily urbanised area so the task is to find the sett and people locally MUST know where the badgers are but fingers and everything else crossed someone will tip us off (we treat any locations given confidentially as the animals protection is paramount.
If anything the badgers and foxes show us that Bristol green gardens and spaces are healthy environments that need protecting as much as the two mammals and let's face it: both are excellent pest controllers with the fox hunting and removing thousands of rats each year from our City.
I ought to point out that "nuisance" behaviour of badgers regarding fruit crops has been noted but how is it a nuisance? We take over their ancestral territories and build on them or use them as allotments and badgers forage for food and strawberry bushes are food as are other vegetables. It is good to note that some allotment tenants "put up with" badgers foraging or even put out food that helps sustain them.
It is just a pity that our City Council as well as organisations such as the BBC (which likes to use Bristol badgers and foxes for its filming) do not get together to promote foxes and badgers and try to make people aware of the numbers killed on our roads (mainly through speeding cars) each year. EVERYONE needs to help before we lose our urban wildlife species.
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