Feature: Badgers

Badgers

By JAMES DEMPSY

Ecology Intern at IRD Duhallow

The European Badger (Meles meles) is an omnivorous mammal, easily identified by the characteristic black and white markings on its face. Similar to cats and small dogs, they can live for up to 15 years. They are found throughout Ireland, likely having been introduced by early settlers. Badgers live in family social groups, in underground dens known as setts. Setts can be made up of hundreds of metres of tunnels, but are usually much smaller than this. They have a number of different entrances, and badger groups will continue to use the same sett for long periods of time, with one sett in Cork being known to be in use by badgers for over 100 years. Badgers are very adaptable and build their setts in many different places, preferring natural woodlands and unmanaged or rough grassland. Badgers are considered ‘ecosystem engineers’ because of how their setts change the environment they are in. When setts are abandoned by badgers, they provide shelter and feeding opportunities for many other species, especially insects and fungi that do well in the dark and humid conditions. Badgers are nocturnal, resting in their setts during the day, and coming out to look for food at night. They will eat a variety of foods depending on what is available at particular times of the year, but most of their diet is made up of earthworms, slugs, insects, berries and plants. Frogs are an important part of their diet, and they sometimes eat small mammals and birds. While there are many stories about badgers, like that they can break bones, they are actually shy, non-aggressive animals and will do their best to avoid any contact with humans. They have strong jaws however, and if cornered, or during attempts to catch them, they can bite while trying to escape. Populations of badgers are healthy in Ireland and they are deemed not at risk in terms of their conservation. They have gained a negative reputation over the years due to their role in the spread of bovine tuberculosis to cattle in Ireland, but their role in this is generally overstated. Badgers’ social groups remain quite stable, and most badgers do not travel or migrate large distances, meaning the risk of them spreading TB is quite small. In some cases where culling has taken place to limit the spread of TB, it has increased badger movements, and caused the spread of TB to increase also. Recent trials using vaccination of badgers to reduce the spread of TB have been successful, and there are plans to introduce a vaccination programme across Ireland, eliminating the need for culling, except in hotspots of severe TB infection in cattle. Badgers like areas that are quiet and where they can stay well hidden. We can help them by leaving areas of land undisturbed and letting vegetation grow long. This will give them a place to live and to look for food. They’ll thank us by eating the slugs and other pests that can damage our garden flowers and plants.

Figure 1 - An entrance to a Badger sett