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Introduction

With so many threats to contend with, badgers need all the friends they can get. Fortunately, there are many ways in which you can provide positive, practical help. Opportunities to get involved in badger protection activities are greatest in Britain, where there is a network of local Badger Groups covering almost the whole of England, Scotland and Wales, and a National Federation of Badger Groups (now known as the Badger Trust). However, there are badger protection organisations in a few other countries too, and animal welfare and conservation organisations in many more. There are also things you as an individual can do, without becoming involved in a Badger Group or other organisation.

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Learn more about badgers

Knowledge empowers. One of the simplest but most effective things that you can do to help badgers is to find out more about them. There are many ways in which you can learn more about these wonderful creatures. Reading through the information on this website would be a good start! There are also many other websites which provide information about badgers, the problems they face, and how these problems are being tackled - check out my Badger Links website. There are also many books about badgers which you could purchase (visit the Brock Shop for details) or borrow from your local library.

One of the best ways to find out more about badgers is to visit their setts, find their tracks and signs, and watch them. [More info.]

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Reduce road casualties

Deaths caused by road traffic are a major problem for badgers in many countries, with tens of thousands being killed or injured every year. If you are a motorist, there are many things you can do to reduce the number of badgers killed on the roads. [More info.]

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Report badgers and badger setts

If you know of any badger setts, please report them to your local Badger Group, or to the appropriate biological records centre. [More info.]

If you see a live or dead badger while on your travels, or if you come across other evidence of badger activity (footprints, latrines etc) away from any known sett, you should report these observations too. [More info.].

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Report badger persecution

In Britain, if you find any evidence of persecution that has already happened (e.g. a dug sett, a dead badger in a snare), please report your observations to your local Badger Group or police Wildlife Crime Officer. If you come across persecution actually in progress, observe and make notes from a safe distance and report what you have seen to the police as quickly as possible. [More info.] In other countries, the police may be able to assist if the type of badger persecution you witness is against the law in your country. There may also be animal welfare organisations which can help.

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Report developments affecting badgers

In Britain, if you hear of any plans for developments which might affect badgers, please let your local Badger Group or Wildlife Trust know so that they can take action. The sooner they know, the more they will be able to do to protect the badgers.

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Help when badgers cause problems

In Britain, if you hear of anybody who thinks that they have problems with badgers (e.g. badgers digging holes in their lawn or golf course, damaging crops etc), please let your local Badger Group know. If you do not have a local Badger Group, information in the Coexisting section of the Badger Pages may be of assistance.

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Help injured badgers

If you come across trapped, sick or injured badger, please report it to your local Badger Group, the RSPCA, the SSPCA or whichever animal rescue or welfare organisation covers the area, as soon as possible. If you find an injured badger on the road, there are practical things that you can do to increase its chances of survival until help arrives. [More info.]

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Campaign, educate and inform

As I said in my introduction above, badgers need all the friends they can get. So why not try to win them more friends? Tell people about this website, and encourage them to visit. If you have a local or national Badger Group or other organisation which produces leaflets about badgers, obtain a supply and pass them on to people who might be interested. Write letters to your local newspaper, alerting people to the problems that badgers face, and how they can help. Write to your Member of Parliament, asking him or her to support measures to improve the laws protecting badgers.

In Britain, you will no doubt be aware that the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is consulting (until March 10th 2006) on plans for large-scale badger culling in England. Your support for the campaign against the cull, and in favour of alternative solutions to the problem of bovine TB in cattle, is very much needed. [More info.]

If you watch badgers at a local sett, take others to see the badgers - once someone has watched a badger in the wild, it is a lot easier to win their support!

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Support badger protection organisations

You can do more to help badgers by joining forces with others. In Britain there is a network of local Badger Groups, all of which need more members, particularly members willing to get actively involved. You can also become a supporter of the Badger Trust (which covers England and Wales) or Scottish Badgers. In the Netherlands, Das & Boom would welcome your membership and support. In Belgium, you can support le Groupe de Travail Blaireau. In other countries, there are other animal welfare and conservation organisations, some of which may carry out badger protection work.

You can support these organisations by joining them as a member, by getting actively involved in their work, by sending a donation or organising fund raising events on their behalf.

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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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