SELBY AND GOOLE BADGER WATCH

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SELBY AND GOOLE BADGER WATCH

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GROUP

We are a new group but have known each other for many years. Due to the recent attacks on badger setts in the Selby and Goole area, we decided to form a group, and although still in its infancy, we really are a formidable team in protecting badgers!

We are a friendly, proactive group of people of varying ages and levels of fitness. We sometimes meet at a cafe for breakfast before visiting our many badger setts and we have regular get togethers and training sessions where ideas can be bounced around and any problems can be resolved. In Summer we may have a get together in the garden to discuss future plans, with a BBQ on the go !

We monitor badger setts on a daily basis and record our findings by keeping up to date records of the setts we monitor. We also enjoy badger watching evenings in the Summer months, usually from May to July.

We can offer advice as and when needed to householders who may have badgers visiting their gardens. Also to farmers and landowners with whom we have built up good relationships.

We are a small, close-knit team, but every one of us is valued and has something to bring to the table. So what is the Group's Structure?

Well - we have the founder of the group and we have sett monitors and it's as simple as that. Uncomplicated. With over 20 years' experience, our founder carries out all "in-house" training and has excellent contacts with highly experienced colleagues who are able to provide on-going external training.

The purpose of this group is to focus on badgers, although we will always help any animal in need, whatever the species. We work well together and our only aim is to keep badgers safe from harm. Collectively we have many years experience in badger related issues and as individuals we are always willing to learn and as the science changes, we update our skills as required. We attend conferences, seminars, and meetings held by the Rural Task Force, RSPCA and other Agencies in our area. We will be Associate Members of the Badger Trust and will also join the Northern Badger Group Forum who meet once or twice a year.

Perhaps you would like to find out more about becoming a Sett Monitor? If you would, that's brilliant. Please complete the contact form or give us a call and we will arrange to meet up to have a chat.

If you are not able to commit to being a badger sett monitor, but would like to help in some other way, we would still love to hear from you too.

AREAS WE COVER:

We monitor setts around the Selby and Goole areas, and anywhere in between. Unfortunately, we can only monitor badger setts which we are aware off, therefore, if you know of any badger setts which you would like us to monitor, please get in touch.

BADGERS (Meles Meles)

With their iconic stripey faces, badgers are one of the most well known, and most recognisable of our British mammals. Living in family groups, known as a clan, badgers are part of the mustelid family, which also includes, otters, pine martens, weasels and stoats. The female is a "sow", the male, a "boar" and the young are "cubs".

Badgers do have poor eyesight, but they have excellent hearing and a superb sense of smell.

Badgers mate all year round, but due to delayed implantation, they only have one litter of cubs born between January and March with the peak time being mid February. The cubs open their eyes at around five weeks and emerge with their mum above ground at around 10 -12 weeks. See our videos of the two little cubs emerging.

The last day of April and two very chubby badger cubs emerge and start foraging for a few peanuts and broken custard creams.

In Autumn we visit the Scottish Highlands and stay in a log cabin where badgers are regular visitors. In fact they are pretty cheeky and occasionally get a bit too close !

If you go down to the woods today. Well ! we were just walking through a wood, early evening it was too when we heard a rustling noise. Much to our surprise there was a family of badgers out n about gathering fresh bedding. This time it was copper beech leaves which explained the rustling.

THE BADGERS' HOME

The badgers' underground home is known as a "sett" and being clean, houseproud creatures, the badgers will frequently change their bedding. Our sett monitors regularly see balls of bedding left out to air, and occasionally we see badgers collecting bedding from the forest ground, and in a backward movement, drag the bedding back into their sett. (See above video on the right)

The entrance hole to the sett could be described as a "Capital D on its side" and has to be the same width going deep into the tunnel. If you kneel down and peer into the tunnel and it narrows considerably, then it's rabbits living there and not badgers.

Badgers are also prolific diggers and one sign of an active badger sett and in current use is the amount of spoil outside the entrance hole.

BADGER PERSECUTION

Athough badgers and their setts are protected under the Protection of Badgers Act, 1992, they still face many forms of cruelty and persecution.

Sett entrances being ploughed over, blocking or stopping up of setts during fox hunts.

The barbarity of badger baiting, where earth dogs, such as Patterdale Terriers are entered into a sett where they make their way along the maze of tunnels until the badger is held at the stop end with no-where to go.

Then there's shooting, poisioning, snaring, slurry being poured into badger setts, lamping, and being run down at night by criminals on quads. The list is endless.

With many badger setts being in remote locations, often on private land, it is difficult to ascertain the level of persecution, simply because we never get to know about it.