Badgers in Britain.
The distribution of badger setts ( both used and unused ) in England, Scotland and Wales has been estimated as many as 43,000 badger families in Britain, which would mean that the badger population of this country would approximately be around 250,000 adults. It can be assumed that the highest populations of badgers tend to live in Wales and the South West of England, the reason being that large areas of countryside in these regions provide very suitable habitats, ( natural homes ) for the badger.
Ideally badgers like to dig their setts into a bank or slope, where the soil is well drained and where there is both good shelter in the form of woodland cover and also a plentiful supply of food.
The wet, mild climate, together with the rolling hills in Wales and Western England where pastures and cereals are the predominant crops, suit badgers needs very well and they seem to thrive in these areas of the country.
Other places where you may find badger setts, include hedgerows, open fields, river banks, disused quarries, under buildings and on coastal cliffs. Badgers living close to urban areas soon learn to find food by raiding dustbins and compost heaps, digging up garden plants, bulbs and snuffling out worms on well - tended lawns, causing conflicts with human residents in some areas.
Ideally badgers like to dig their setts into a bank or slope, where the soil is well drained and where there is both good shelter in the form of woodland cover and also a plentiful supply of food.
The wet, mild climate, together with the rolling hills in Wales and Western England where pastures and cereals are the predominant crops, suit badgers needs very well and they seem to thrive in these areas of the country.
Other places where you may find badger setts, include hedgerows, open fields, river banks, disused quarries, under buildings and on coastal cliffs. Badgers living close to urban areas soon learn to find food by raiding dustbins and compost heaps, digging up garden plants, bulbs and snuffling out worms on well -
THE BADGER SETT.
The main sett
Which has a number of entrances, used and disused, with large spoil heaps. Always active and with well used paths. Only one main sett per social group.
The setts provide shelter during the day and are used also for breeding purposes, while their surroundings are used for socialising.
The setts themselves vary greatly in size, and the extent of the tunnels and number of entrances can be very considerable. If it was possible to have a typical sett it would most probably have between 3 -10 large entrances leading to an intricate system of interconnecting tunnels and chambers. Outside of each of the entrances you find a large amount of soil which is referred to as a spoil heap.
The size of a sett can vary greatly but it is not always related to to the amount of badgers which are occupying it at the time, the effect of local conditions such as the make up of the soil, i.e.; whether it is sandy or of a very hard clay type, and the amount of years which it as been in use.
Which has a number of entrances, used and disused, with large spoil heaps. Always active and with well used paths. Only one main sett per social group.
The setts provide shelter during the day and are used also for breeding purposes, while their surroundings are used for socialising.
The setts themselves vary greatly in size, and the extent of the tunnels and number of entrances can be very considerable. If it was possible to have a typical sett it would most probably have between 3 -
The size of a sett can vary greatly but it is not always related to to the amount of badgers which are occupying it at the time, the effect of local conditions such as the make up of the soil, i.e.; whether it is sandy or of a very hard clay type, and the amount of years which it as been in use.
