Brockwatch

The protection of badgers in Northampton and south-west Northants cannot be carried out effectively by Brockwatch volunteers alone. We also need people outside of Brockwatch, who come across badgers in their gardens, on the roads or in the countryside, to do their bit. If these people are to make the right decisions when they come across badgers, they need to know more about the badger and its needs. Here are some of the key messages we need to promote:

Badgers and the law

Badgers and their setts are protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. It is illegal to take, injure or kill a badger or to attempt to do so; to dig for badgers; to cruelly ill treat them; and to blocked up, damage or destroy a badger sett except under licence.

Injured badgers

Brockwatch has Rescue Officers who will attend to trapped, sick, injured or orphaned badgers.

Problems caused by badgers

Badgers can cause problems for gardeners and landowners, but these can be resolved without harming the badgers. Advice and information is available from Brockwatch.

Bovine TB

Scientific evidence shows that bovine TB is spread mainly by cattle and can be reduced by controlling the disease in cattle, while localised badger culling only makes matters worse.

Badgers and roads

By avoiding unnecessary car journeys, driving carefully at night, and reporting dead and injured badgers to Brockwatch, drivers can help to reduce the number of badgers killed on our roads.

Sett locations

Keeping badger sett locations secret may help to keep them safe - but we recommend that people tell us about any setts they know of so that we can add them to our records.

Anyone can help badgers!

You don't have to be a badger expert to join Brockwatch and get involved with our work. All you need is enthusiasm, a desire to learn, and some spare time. Badgers need all the friends they can get!