Badgers

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Badgers

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Woodburner

Joined: 28 Apr 2006
Posts: 2904
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 07 6:08 pm Post subject: Badgers
Not sure if this is the right forum, but a lot of people who have chickens also know about badgers so: I've just done a bit of reading up on these beasties. It seems that they have no predators and that people aren't allowed to kill them. Am I right and if so, am I the only one that sees a problem here?

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 07 6:08 pm Post subject:
Cars.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45669
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 07 6:11 pm Post subject:

gil wrote:

Cars.

Especially cars near golf courses

Woodburner

Joined: 28 Apr 2006
Posts: 2904
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 07 6:12 pm Post subject:
Don't kill enough!

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 07 6:13 pm Post subject:
We don't appear to be over run with them, do we?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45669
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 07 6:14 pm Post subject:

Nick Howe wrote:

We don't appear to be over run with them, do we?

We've got loads, but no chickens, yet....

Wombat

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 396
Location: SW Cheshire

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 07 9:28 pm Post subject:
Not enough cars!! Wombat

Woodburner

Joined: 28 Apr 2006
Posts: 2904
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 07 10:08 pm Post subject:

Nick Howe wrote:

We don't appear to be over run with them, do we?

True. Not yet anyway. But if what I said is true, and noone has suggested that it isn't, it's only a matter of time.

They don't seem to be too much of a problem at the moment but I do wonder what effect the rise will have on other wildlife, because they are definitely on the rise already, despite the cars.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 07 10:10 pm Post subject:
We don't have any predators either. The population of any animal is limited by far more factors than predation.

Woodburner

Joined: 28 Apr 2006
Posts: 2904
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 07 10:41 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

We don't have any predators either.

And look at what a mess we are making of the world!

Quote:

The population of any animal is limited by far more factors than predation.

Badgers don't have wars or commit genocide.

Oh you mean things like loss of habitat. No shortage of disused gravel pits or embankments, there seem to be more artificial banks than natural ones these days, but badgers don't mind. Disease and starvation will eventually kick in, when the population reaches saturation levels, as it inevitably will.

Badgers are extremely destructive, nearly as bad as man, and they eat pretty much anything that moves. The area around a sett is always barren and the setts can be huge. If however someone can convince me that they actually help biodiversity, I will stop worrying!

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 07 10:44 pm Post subject:
Aren't they all supposed to be dieing of TB?

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 7:35 am Post subject:
There's a massive population of badgers in the UK today. There are populations of badgers in areas now, that historically have never had them before .

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 7:51 am Post subject:
People also suggest that badgers, along with humans, are responsible for the demise of the hedgehog and I would also expect them to eat a fair number of ground nesting birds. In and ideal world it would be great to get a balanced report on what good/bad they do but there doesn't seem to be anyone around to do that.

alisjs

Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 1497
Location: Conwy

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 10:07 am Post subject:
blinking badgers ate my strawberries yesterday. We are looking into getting badger proof fencing at our allotments Always plenty of dead ones on the A55

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 10:44 am Post subject:
Top predators tend to be limited by food supply and competition. If we go from limiting their population by killing them off to not doing so (or only doing so by mowing them down on the roads), then we'll see a change in their population that will crudely stabilise at another level, which will have a knock on effect on other species. Its how population ecology works.

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