Reading, riting and ‘rithmetic … ?
I won’t be mentioning it much on the socials but a few months ago i literally stumbled across a large healthy badger sett not too far from home, up on the moors.
With that anthropological thingy where humans like to name things / animals in nature, and as a very vague hint to its whereabouts (you can work for GCHQ if you crack this one), i’ve called it the ‘Hancock’ sett.
As well as sitting and watching the residents, and treating them to peanuts occasionally, i’ve become very atuned to the sign of any other human activity near the sett. It’s not on a PROW, not visible to the eye (unless using a plane / heli / drone), so human sign thereabouts may not be of the nature loving type !!
A few books have been read and re-read trying to learn more about badgers – as previously mentioned i really like this one (also available as an audiobook) …
The Badger Trust is a useful resource too. They provide advice on the ‘three R’s’ of what to do about crimes against badgers
RECOGNISE
RECORD
REPORT
and have made a FILM about badger crime and what to so about it. N.B. the video includes stills and video of crimes against badgers.
Another really useful tool (because we humans are seldom more than arms length from a smartphone) is the Badger Trust app caller ‘Badger Watch’. Free to download.
It offers a comprehensive reporting tool for badger crime in England and Wales
and also has a guide on what a sett looks like
And advice on what to do if you find an injured badger, or a dog stuck in a sett.
There’s also a ‘find my local badger group’ tool.
Badger crime is an offence and, if witnessed is a 999 call to the police. Do not put yourself at risk in recording or reporting instances to the police.
You can get involved with or donate to organisations that work against badger crime. Badger Trust, League Against Cruel Sports and RSPCA are a few of them.
*the Hancock sett is monitored 24/7 by covert cameras