When it comes to wildlife in the garden, there are some creatures – like birds, bees and butterflies – that we actively encourage, while others tend to do more harm than good.
For me, the latter comes in the form of badgers. They’ve been regularly visiting my garden since 2020 and, while they’re lovely animals, they have made their presence known.
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And, due to their protected status, you can’t deal with badgers in the same way that you would keep other animals, like foxes, out of your garden. So, I asked the experts for their advice on how I can live happily alongside these burrowing neighbours, without landing myself in legal trouble.
The law surrounding badgers
It’s common knowledge that badgers and their setts (or homes) are protected in the UK and this limits what you can and can’t do if you encounter one in your garden.
According to Badger Trust, ‘Badgers and their setts are protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.’ Though this protected status was first awarded to badgers in the UK in 1973 as a response to years of persecution, baiting and culling of the species.
‘The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 makes it a criminal offence to intentionally kill, injure or take a badger, or to interfere with, damage or obstruct a sett,’ explains Mosh Latifi, Co-Owner of EcoCare Pest Management.
‘The legislation is taken seriously by authorities. Penalties can include unlimited fines and up to six months in prison,’ adds Mosh. ‘Importantly, these protections apply to the sett itself, not just the animal, which means any gardening or landscaping work near an active sett needs careful consideration.’
A sett is where badgers take shelter, and they typically come in the form of large underground tunnels.
‘Entrances are typically large, rounded or D-shaped holes, usually wider than they are tall, with soil piled just outside from digging,’ advises Kara Gammell, Home Insurance Expert at MoneySuperMarket . ‘Active setts often look well-used, with clear paths leading in and out.’
The back of my garden – an area we’ve fondly dubbed ‘badger’s paradise’ – is full of setts. It’s clear from the holes that badgers are active in this area, and the law states that we must leave them to it.
While you are unable to interfere with badgers and their setts, experts say there are still some measures you can take to deter them from causing damage in your garden.
How to legally deter badgers
If you suspect you have badgers in your garden, it’s a good idea to begin by confirming that this is the case. ‘Badgers are creatures of habit and use the same routes repeatedly, so the most obvious sign of badgers is the sett entrance itself, but you may also notice scratched turf, or coarse black and white hairs near the sett,’ says Mosh.
Badger Trust also suggests using trail cameras to observe them in action, due to their nocturnal nature. A simple one like this from Amazon should do the trick. I have cameras set up in my garden, purely for badger watching purposes, and have managed to catch footage of them multiple times.
Once you know it’s badgers that you’re dealing with, you must proceed with caution and adhere to the Badger Protection Act 1992 when trying to deter them. According to the experts, these are the best methods to try.
1. Remove food sources
According to Badger Trust, ‘badgers typically enter gardens in search of food, and the most obvious signs of badgers in gardens are foraging signs, including pits dug in lawns as they search for insects, such as leatherjackets and cockchafer larvae.’
Learning how to get rid of leatherjackets and other larvae can be a good place to start, for without food to search for, badgers might begin to leave your garden alone. And during the process, it can be worth reducing windfall food waste. ‘Secure compost bins, remove windfall fruit, and don’t leave pet food outside,’ advises Mosh.
2. Use noise and light
‘Badgers are sensitive, and sudden activation of lights within your garden may discourage them from returning,’ suggests Kara. Motion-sensored garden lights are a great place to start, and there are many garden lighting ideas that will do the job without compromising on style.
But, be aware that this might not always work. In fact, Badger Trust advises that garden lights might lose their power as badgers become habituated over time. A badger in my garden even ended up chewing through the wire of one of my garden lights after a while. But, as a temporary solution, it’s certainly worth a try.
3. Secure fencing
Taking measures to secure your garden fences is perhaps one of the most effective ways to deter badgers. You can even buy badger-proof fencing, specially designed to do the hard work for you.
‘Badger-proof fencing can be installed around specific areas such as vegetable patches, provided it does not obstruct access to a sett,’ says Mosh. ‘The fencing needs to be robust and partially buried as badgers are powerful diggers.’
Or, if badgers have already damaged your fence, Badger Trust suggests installing a badger gate or leaving a small gap for the badgers. When a badger knocked down some of my fence panels, we left the gap open as a route through which it can pass. And this has minimised digging disruption to an extent.
4. Talk to the experts
When dealing with badgers in the garden, it’s important to understand these creatures are doing what they have always done. ‘As urban areas expand, new or existing development can bring housing closer to existing badger territories, causing badgers to enter nearby gardens,’ says Badger Trust. To understand more about this, you can join your local badger group.
‘With a little adjustment, most homeowners come to appreciate having a badger nearby,’ adds Mosh. ‘If a sett is causing genuine structural concern, for example, undermining a building or wall, the right course of action is to contact a licensed ecologist or the Badger Trust for further guidance on lawful mitigation, rather than attempting to deal with it independently.’
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