working near badger setts uk
Most badgers appear grey in colour on the main body, with a lighter colour on the underbelly, although some can appear to be a shade of brown on the back and … While we have UK Government restrictions in place, bookings are subject to the following … Most badgers will be vaccinated, awake, by trained and licensed vaccinators, but some will be anaesthetised briefly so that researchers can collect blood samples to check that the vaccine is working. Licences cannot be issued retrospectively and we take 15 working days to determine … Residents have told of their anger after one of Northern Ireland's largest badger setts is believed to have been wiped out. 2012). The East Yorkshire Badger Protection Group was founded in 1987. Badgers and their setts (burrows) are protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992.This makes it an offence to kill or take a badger, to cruelly ill-treat a badger, or to interfere with a badger sett, including disturbing a badger while it … Often badger fencing is installed as part of badger mitigation under licence when closing a badger sett, badger exclusion or when directing badgers towards a new artificial badger sett. 11. From here you can use a simple form to report a badger road casualty, a new sett location, and crime or suspicious activity concerning badgers, their setts and their habitats. Consequently, every effort should be made to retain badger setts on the site, especially the critically important main setts. We are delighted to announce the badger hide will be reopening this year from 18th May to the end of October. 5. Other setts which may not have been disturbed for hundreds of years may run to seventy or more entrances. Published: essentialARB, Issue 7 - 2002 Badgers are considered to be, in the UK, one of our most popular and certainly one of the best know of all wild mammals. noise and activity around their setts, and that low or moderate levels of apparent disturbance at or near to badger setts do not necessarily disturb the badgers occupying those setts. It is very important to remember that that all the setts In the Badger Clans territory … With experience in installing one-way badger fencing systems, badger gates, creation of artificial badger setts (various sizes) and working under ecological method statements. Examples of activities requiring a licence near a badger sett. We seek the advice of the appropriate licensing authority, professional consultants such as AUWP or ADAS or the local badger group before embarking on any course of action that might affect badgers or there setts. In the UK, badger setts have also been excavated in the cutting slope of highways (Nichol et al. However, if the destruction of a sett is unavoidable, Natural England, the Countryside Council for Wales or Scottish Natural Heritage can licence the exclusion of badgers from the sett, followed by its … Sometimes we will check more setts the next day, as will others who we will notify. Badgers (Meles meles) and their setts are protected by law and a license is required to work near or on a sett. Intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to a badger sett. Both badgers and their setts are protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 as amended by the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011.. Setts are networks of underground tunnels in which badgers live. It can also be used to direct the animal along a chosen route. Disturbance of a badger when it is occupying a sett. We cover the area from Filey down to Spurn and from Malton, east of York down to Goole, including the Selby District but we will cross boundaries – after all, badgers do! Officers investigating after a badger sett was filled in and blocked have released an image of a man they hope to trace. As you may know, we already have an artificial badger sett there, that was installed some 7 years ago when the owners first bought the property. Badger Hide will reopen from 18th May 2021! Good practices involve avoiding going near badger setts and badger latrines, and washing hands and boots after walking around a badger territory. Surveys in November and December 2011 have found evidence of The short dark and white hair on the face gives the UK badger (Meles meles; European or Eurasian badger) its iconic striped features, with black ears tipped in white. Badgers and their setts are legally protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. Grilo et al. Elder bushes can often be found growing near badger setts. Under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, in England and Wales (the law is different in Scotland) it is an offence to: Wilfully kill, injure or take a badger (or attempt to do so). Fruit features in the badger's diet too, including pears, apples, plums and elderberries. Applying for a licence. Badgers will be vaccinated by hand, in cage traps placed near badger setts. Badgers and badger setts are protected under the Protection of Badgers Act, 1992, which makes it illegal to kill, injure or remove badgers, or to interfere with a badger sett. We are going to need volunteers to help with this job in the near … Entrances to setts are always oval in shape, the shape of the badger’s body Badger hairs found near setts on twigs and fences, are oval in section and indicate that a sett is occupied Active and well-used setts can be identified by the large spoil-heaps of earth nearby and also piles of discarded straw or grass used as bedding 2003), suggesting that badgers may tolerate such linear structures. Dig for a badger. There are no internal cameras, but we have had cams on the outside of the two sett entrances and gained some great footage of the sett being regularly used. The desktop study revealed a good number of existing records of badger setts to the north, north west and south east of the Rockliffe Road site although no records of badger setts on the site were recorded. As such, Natural England do not believe that such levels of apparent disturbance around setts require a licence under section 10 of the Act. Badgers are protected and so are the setts (burrows) they live in. He described working on the site as a "huge problem" and revealed there were another four sites that need rebuilding due to underground badger setts across the county. You usually won’t need a licence to do the following if it’s unlikely to disturb a badger in its sett or damage a sett: work with hand tools or machinery above or below ground close to a sett clear vegetation near setts, including felling small trees or shrubs, provided they are not uprooted and don’t block access to … The general rule of thumb is a 30 metre exclusion zone should be placed around badger setts with excavation works and heavy machinery kept well … Bottle diggers may not be aware they are digging into badger setts but it is still a crime to interfere with a badger sett. However, under licence, it is possible to undertake certain necessary activities, when development works cannot be avoided, … Working with or near to badgers can be sensitive and emotive issue. At Newent, on the edge of the Forest of Dean, small groups set out to walk footpaths near to badger setts. To survey, record and monitor badger setts in order to protect badgers. A planning application has since been made for three buildings. 1 Thornton, P. S. (1988) Density and distribution of badgers in south-west England - a predictive model. The badger sett where the men were spotted was in Stockley Hollow, near Calne, Wiltshire. Can I work near a badger sett? They are also the main predator of hedgehogs in the UK. The badger hide is an enclosed building and so is considered an indoor setting. Before any work goes ahead which will interfere with setts (including disturbing badgers occupying setts) a licence will be needed from English Nature. Welcome to the Badger Trust confidential reporting centre. With HS2 about to cut a huge swathe through Buckinghamshire, this will have the effect of destroying many badger setts, and the badgers will have to be removed – a long and complex task. Pictures are filed with the sett location on them and it is posted on the Stop Badger Sett blocking page with only vague details re location. Badger Setts may consist of only 2 or 3 entrances, yet a number of badgers may be seen leaving from the same entrance one after the other. Advertisement Badger tunnels can extend up to 20 metres from the entrance holes and are located between 0.2 metres and several metres deep, depending on the soil and topography. Developers should take care when carrying out any work near setts as offences can result from both reckless and intentional damage, disturbance or destruction. Tree work around badgers, and badger setts Andrew Cowan N.D.Arb. The RSPCA was today unable to confirm the exact amount spent on the prosecution. Both these cases are being investigated by the police and we are working closely with our Wildlife Crime Officer to develop a strategy of awareness raising and prevention. Our Aims. Work near active badger setts must be carried out between July and November inclusive, to avoid the disturbance of breeding female badgers. To discuss your requirements please … Disturbing a badger when it is occupying a sett. A badger sett is defined in the legislation as “any structure or place which displays signs indicating current use by a badger”. Forest operations and badger setts (PDF, 426.2kB) This guide concentrates upon safeguarding setts and badgers within setts. Badger fencing can be used to exclude or contain badgers. When earthworms are scarce, badgers will eat small mammals like voles and rabbits. Any action that interferes with a sett (including blocking tunnels or damaging the sett in anyway) requires a licence. Most social groups of badgers have a number of setts within the territory that they use. A report is sent to the Badger Trust, local badger groups, other sabs / monitors, other parties. Badgers are fully protected in the UK by the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 and by Schedule 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981(as amended). However, they can still be recognised as badger setts by the shape of the tunnel (not the entrance hole), which is at least 250 mm in diameter and rounded or flattened oval in shape. Campaigners claimed the work was damaging ancient woodland and badger setts in the area, near St Ives. Thank you for taking the time to report these things to us. It is not intended to provide comprehensive advice on the wider aspects of managing forests for the benefit of badgers although it includes some measures which go beyond what is strictly … This makes it an offence to: Wilfully kill, injure, take, possess or cruelly treat a badger. Cruelly ill-treat a badger.