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Predators

In Britain, adult badgers have no natural enemies. Young cubs however may be taken by foxes, or even, occasionally, by golden eagles or buzzards. The photo here shows the male golden eagle at Haweswater (in the English Lake District) feeding on the corpse of a dead adult badger in the winter of 1986. It is unlikely that the eagle killed the badger itself.

Elsewhere, in Europe and Asia, there are more predators which will take badger cubs, such as wolves, lynx, wolverines, and eagle owls. Some of these species take adult badgers as well as cubs.

Picture © Dave Walker, The North West Raptor Protection Group, used with permission.

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Defences

In most cases, the badger's first reaction to danger will be to turn and run, dashing down into the nearest sett entrance if there is one nearby.

As for the badger's reaction if cornered, our knowledge of this sadly derives mostly from accounts of badger baiting sessions, when these unfortunate animals are pitted aginst a succession of dogs. The tactics used in defence probably depend on the nature of the individual badger: some are more aggressive than others. Some badgers will tuck their heads between their forelegs and rely on their thick fur and tough skin to provide protection from the bites of their attacker(s). Most will also raise their heads from time to time, bringing their teeth into use: the Eurasian badger has powerful jaws, and can use them to devastating effect if necessary.

Badger cubs do not have strong jaws like adults, but if a cub is threatened and is unable to escape, it will turn to face its enemy, displaying its black and white stripes. It will also fluff out its fur to make itself look bigger, and make what Ernest Neal has described as a "series of menacing noises". My own experience, dealing with a cub caught up in a snare, was that it seemed to hiss and spit like an angry cat!

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References

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Additional picture credits

The Eurasian badger photo used at the head of this Article is © Steve Jackson. Credits for the photos used in the right-hand margin of this page for site navigation can be found on the Credits page.

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