Hi, I have recently moved into a new property (northern england) and I installed an animal trap camera our of interest, in my amazement I have noticed badgers amongst other more common things like foxes etc etc.

I am planning to replace a decrepit perimeter fence with a new brick wall or fence later in the summer, however this got me think that could prevent the badger which I really don't want to do.

Does anyone know any tips or advice on wall/fence building which is badger friendly? Is it just the case of placing holes for them to pass through?

Thanks in advance

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Such clever animals. Capable of building prisons and holding press conferences!!

I was wondering if badgers have intelligence like crows, where you can befriend and even regularly feed without them assuming all humans will be safe?

My goal is just to be able to sit and watch wild badgers up close. I have spotted places in the city they pass through and think it would be pretty easy to find their setts as I always notice badger fur sheddings even when I am not looking for it. Feeding would be an obvious way to attempt to establish trust and have them gather. But I wouldn't dream of doing that if it were to endanger them.

I just finished reading the book “Badger” by Daniel Heath Justice, and found this interesting tidbit in the chapter on badger persecutions:

All badger species are targets of persecution for profit, protection or amusement. To be 'badgered' is not, as commonly presumed, a statement about the behaviour of badgers; rather, those responsible for the badgering are human. Quite literally, to be badgered is to be immobilized, brutalized and overwhelmed by ferocious opponents (generally trained dogs) until mutilated and/or killed. The term has largely lost its historical specificity and switched the order of aggressor, but the bloody sport of badgering continues today.

I had never heard of that origin, assuming as most do that “to badger” was a reference to the tenacity of the animal and not to hunting it.

I thought it was a good book, and can recommend it to anyone looking for a non-fiction read on the subject.

https://www.keeptheban.uk/post/breaking-shocking-undercover-footage-exposes-reality-of-the-badger-cull