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Introduction

Records of badger setts are vital to Badger Groups, in their efforts to protect badgers from the effects of developments and from deliberate persecution. Badger Groups can only save a sett (or the badgers that live in it) from a development if they know that the sett is there when the development is being planned. In addition, if Groups don't know the locations of badger setts, they cannot arrange for them to be monitored. If the setts are attacked by badger diggers or others who seek to harm badgers, it is difficult to catch and prosecute the people responsible. For details of your local group, check out the website of the Badger Trust.

I would therefore urge you to tell your local Badger Group about any setts that you know of and any new ones that you find, so that the information can be added to their records. This information will be kept confidential if requested.

The guidelines below will help you to provide your Badger Group with useful information about badger setts.

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Information needed

The following information should be included when you report a badger sett:

Date of visit

Please say when you saw the sett that you are reporting. If you are reporting a sett which you saw some time ago, an approximate date - month and year or even just the year - will suffice.

Sett location

Badger Groups need to know the locations of all badger setts as precisely as possible, so that the setts can be found easily when necessary (for example if there is a report of badger digging at the sett). There are various ways in which you can describe the location of a sett, any or all of the following methods are acceptable:

• An Ordnance Survey grid reference. Please give a six-figure Ordnance Survey grid reference if you are able to. An eight-figure reference would be even better. A GPS receiver or a 1:25000 Ordnance Survey map will help.
• A detailed description of the sett location. Please describe the location of the sett in relation to landmarks or other features, particularly those shown on the relevant Ordnance Survey map. Alternatively, or in addition, describe how to get to the sett from the nearest convenient parking place.
• A sketch map. This is particularly helpful to illustrate a description of a sett location. Show the position of the sett in relation to hedgerows, woodland boundaries, roads and so on.

Landowner or occupier

If known, please give the name, address and telephone number of the owner or occupier of the land on which the sett is situated. If possible, give an indication of their attitude towards the badgers - and towards anybody who might wish to visit the sett.

Access arrangements

This is particularly important: please say whether there is public access to the site where the sett is located, or if the landowner should be contacted before visiting the sett, or if any other arrangements need to be made in order to visit the sett.

Number of entrances

Give a rough idea of the number of sett entrance holes. Better still, if you can, give the exact number, and say how many of these are open, and how many are blocked.

Sett status

Please say whether or not the sett was use at the time when you visited it, if known. If you are not sure, say so.

Evidence of badger activity

If the sett is in use, give details of the evidence, such as footprints, fresh droppings in pits at the sett, or badgers seen at the sett. For further guidance on recognising signs of badger activity, see the articles in the Watching and studying badgers section.

Further information

Please give any other information which you think may be useful, such as details of any persecution or disturbance that has occurred at the sett, details of the age or history of the sett if known, and whether the sett is a breeding sett, if known. If you are prepared to take a sett recorder from the local Badger Group to the sett so that they can make a full record for the Group's records, please say so.

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Making your report

To make it easier for you to report badger setts, I have designed a report form in PDF format which you can download and print out. There are two A5 size forms on the page.

Alternatively, you can ask your local Badger Group to provide you with copies of their own report forms if they have any, or you could simply use whatever paper is available. This information should then be passed on to your local Badger Group.

If you do not wish to fill out a written report, you can pass on details of your observations by telephone. For security reasons, a number of Badger Groups would prefer people not to send reports of badger setts by e-mail. Check the Badger Trust website for contact details for your local Badger Group.

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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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