Badgers on the Tarka Trail
The North Devon AONB & Biosphere Team has been working closely with Devon County Council's local highways team to resolve a tricky dilemma involving badgers on, or rather under, the Tarka Trail.
Badgers have created a sett, (the place where they live) right inside the embankment carrying the Tarka Trail. Badgers dig large homes with lots of entrance holes, tunnels and chambers and their recent work has caused subsidence and subsequent damage to the Trail surface. In addition, the sett is compromising the embankment flood defence because their tunnels link both sides of the causeway.
Badgers are a protected species and it is un-lawful to harm or disturb them. It is also illegal to damage or destroy their homes so dealing with this issue is not easy and requires a licence from Natural England.
The terms of the licence required us to create a replacement 'artificial
sett' into which the badgers could move. We created a posh two storey, multi chambered, warm dry sett right next door to their current one and it is ready for them to move in. There is still space for the badgers to dig, however should they try to tunnel beyond the confines of their new home, heavy duty wire mesh than lines the inside of the bank will prevent them from becoming a nuisance again.
The process has now begun to evict the badgers from their old sett. One way gates have been installed on its entrance holes to allow badgers out, but not back in. At the same time we are encouraging them to use the replacement sett by enticing them with peanuts. Badgers begin to breed in December and it is hoped that they will adopt their new home and raise cubs in splendid comfort without causing havoc on the Trail.
Update: The new badger sett is complet and the old one has been closed off. Monitoring is underway and there is already evidence of digging activity so we think badgers have started to explore the new site. We are presently awaiting consent from the Environment Agency so we can repair the damaged embankment.
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Comments
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I think these badgers are outside the proposed culling areas. On another note, this week we have been excavating the badgers' old burrows, filling them in and reinstating the Trail surface. They now have a lovely new home and we have a trail that is no longer undermined. It took a while but we got there.
Posted by Matt Edworthy, 07/02/2012 3:56pm (3 months ago)
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I hope this does not turn out to be in the government's proposed badger cull area if the NFU get their way .
Posted by Chris Hassall, 05/11/2011 12:33am (6 months ago)
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I hope this doesn't come within the Badger Cull extermination Zone the NFU want the government to impose to control Bovine TB which badgers have been catching from cows.
Posted by Chris Hassall, 04/11/2011 6:12pm (6 months ago)
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What a brilliant piece of team work. I am delighted to hear that the badgers have such people on their side and I wish them well in their new bijou residence.
Posted by Helen Weaver-Hills, 04/11/2011 12:21pm (6 months ago)
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