Steve Jackson's
Badger Pages
Badger facts. Badger photos. The badgers of the world in words and pictures.
Part of Badgers on the Web .
Skip to site navigation
Skip to page navigation
Image: Eurasian badger (Meles meles).
Home » Eurasian badger (Meles meles) » Articles :
Article 1: About badger baiting
This Badger Page describes the cruel practice of badger baiting.
See also: Article 2: Badger baiting on video , Article 3: Badger baiting in the old days and Article 4: The badger, a poem about badger baiting
On this page:
Introduction | About badger baiting | Related Badger Pages
Of all the many forms of badger persecution, badger baiting - a cruel 'sport' in which fighting dogs are set upon a badger - is certainly the most vile. The baiting of badgers and other animals has been going on in Britain (and doubtless elsewhere) for hundreds of years. Despite being outlawed, it still goes on today. If you are in any doubt as to the cruelty involved in the practice, read on.
Warning! If you are easily upset by descriptions of cruelty to animals, please do not read on.
Sadly, it is the badger's tenacity, its apparent ability to absorb almost any punishment and still go on fighting, which has made it a target for people who get their kicks from inflicting cruelty upon animals, even today. Baiting was made illegal in 1835 and is currently an offence under the Protection of Animals Act 1911, but it has never died out. Once a public spectacle, today badger baiting goes on in secret, out-of-the-way locations where there is little chance that the perpetrators will be caught. One such location was described by Chief Inspector Tony Crittenden of the RSPCA, writing in the Summer 1983 edition of RSPCA Today :
"In this case ... two badgers, together with two fox cubs, were found on an allotment. The persons concerned had constructed an elaborate artificial sett using 40-gallon drums sunk into the ground. Each drum was connected to a large pen via concrete pipes. A short distance away, the men had constructed a wooden 'baiting box' which was also sunk into the ground. Terriers could be introduced up to the box through an artificial tunnel. There was actually a badger in the box, and terriers had been introduced into the tunnel in order to bait the badger, when the RSPCA Inspector and the police arrived."
Badger baiting is incredibly cruel. The badger, which may first be partially disabled by being beaten over the head with a spade, or by having its jaw broken or its legs chained, is placed in a baiting pit or some other makeshift arena. It is then set upon by a succession dogs, which are goaded on by their sub-human owners. The dogs used are often the terriers that are used when the badger is dug from its sett.
[Image]
Badger baiting.
Although the badger, with its fearsome jaws and long front claws, is well equipped to deal with its attackers, it prefers to keep its head down out of harm's way between its front legs. It will however attack from time to time, its head sweeping upwards and its jaws locking onto the lower jaws of the nearest dog. Thus the dogs as well as badger may often suffer terrible injuries. The baiters, knowing that they can't very well take their terriers to the vet's with such injuries, treat them - or put the dogs down - themselves. The badger meanwhile is attacked repeatedly, the dogs biting mostly around its head, holding on and trying to shake the animal as they would a rat.
When eventually the badger can fight no longer - and this can be an hour or more after the baiting session started - it is killed, either by repeated blows to the head with a spade, or by stabbing or shooting in some cases.
It is difficult for civilised people to understand how the baiters derive enjoyment from this so-called 'sport', but clearly they do. In some cases they can also make money from badger baiting, as large bets may be placed on the outcome of baiting sessions. Such betting is more usual at dog fights, and in fact a number of badger baiters are known to be into dog fighting too, or to have connections with dog fighters.
Picture captured from video, photographer unknown.
Find out about The threats faced by the Eurasian badger .
b001 .
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.
Go to the Eurasian badger home page.
Go to the hog badger home page.
Go to the American badger home page.
Go to the ferret badgers home page.
Go to the honey badger home page.
Go to the stink badgers home page.
Go to the badgers of the world home page.
Buy badgery gifts and help badgers - select this link.
Text and images copyright © Steve Jackson except where otherwise stated.