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During the dig

Some have argued that digging for badgers with the aid of terriers is a worthwhile "field sport" and not cruel. Certainly, if the digger's terrier does its job properly, neither it or the badger should be physically harmed during the actual process of digging. In practice however, there have been many, many cases of dogs used by badger diggers being badly injured because they have fought with badgers below ground. Sometimes the terrier does not emerge at all, having become lost or trapped in the sett, or maybe even killed by the badger. It has also been reported that on occasion, both badger and terrier have been suffocated below ground by loose soil and rocks [b025].

Even assuming that both dog and badger remain physically unscathed during the digging process, the badger will be experiencing considerable distress. The dig may take several hours, during which time the badger will be only too aware of the presence of the dog, and from the sound of the diggers as their spades and pick axes bring them closer and closer. Then there is the impact on the sett itself. Smaller setts may be almost completely destroyed by a badger dig, and bigger setts may suffer extensive damage, rendering them uninhabitable.

So far, the dig itself is all that has been considered. The next issue is what happens to the badger at the end of the dig.

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After the dig

In a few cases, the badger may actually be released, so that it will provide further 'sport' for the diggers another day. Or the badger may be taken away and released elsewhere in a misguided attempt to 'balance the population'. This happened frequently in the past, but it is unlikely that it goes on much today. If a badger is released into another area where there are badgers already, it will most likely be attacked. In most cases however, the badger is killed, and its death will most likely be neither quick nor painless.

Some of the diggers' victims are killed at the sett itself. Some are shot, some are beaten over the head with a spade or other implement, some are stabbed, and some are just beaten for the fun of it. The quote below is taken from a veterinary post mortem carried out on two badgers found dead at a dug sett in Cheshire:

"The badger had evidence of severe trauma to the top of the head, which had resulted in the nuchal crest being fractured and extensive haemorrhages on the ventral surface of the brain. The changes seen are compatible with two severe blows with a blunt instrument . . . The second animal showed a compression injury around the chest and the immediate cause of death was a ruptured liver which had resulted in extensive internal haemorrhage. The front leg showed a fracture in the region of the elbow. There was bruising to the right hind leg, evidence of a blow to the head, with haemorrhage on the ventral aspect of the brain."

Source: [b025]

Many of the badgers that are taken by badger diggers however are destined to take part in a badger baiting session. They may either be baited at the sett, or placed in sacks or boxes and taken away to be baited elsewhere. For these badgers, the suffering has only just started.

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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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