Badger persecution is one of the UK Wildlife Crime Priorities and comes in many forms ranging from the horrific practice of badger baiting to the avoidable sett disturbance/destruction which can occur when people carry out otherwise legal operations on land such as forestry or agricultural tasks.

Badger Baiting

Badger Baiting involves the digging out and killing of badgers in their setts. Dogs wearing radio collars are sent below ground into a badger sett and the radio signal is tracked from above. Once the dog has located a badger the offenders dig down until such time as they reach the dog and badger. The badger is then pulled from the sett and thrown to the dogs which are allowed to kill the animal. Both the dogs and badgers suffer severe injuries often proving fatal to the badger.

Often the dogs do not receive proper veterinary treatment and they suffer terribly as a result. Badgers lucky enough to survive the encounter will obviously go without any kind of treatment for their wounds.

Badgers are killed illegally in many other ways such as snaring, gassing, poisoning, shooting and lamping.

The police, other enforcement agencies and their partners are proactively targeting offenders and seeking information on those who may have involved themselves in criminal activity in relation to badgers and or their setts. The public are urged to act if they have any information on badger baiting activity:

You can report your suspicions on any of the following numbers:

Police 101

England & Wales

• Badger Trust online report form – click here.
• RSPCA 0300 1234 999
• League Against Cruel Sports Wildlife Crimewatch on 01483 361108
• Suspected poisoning/gassing incidents can be reported to the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS) 0800 321 600
• Naturewatch Foundation Wildlife Crime Adviser and Secretariat of UK Badger Persecution Priority Delivery Group – Andy Swinburne 07392 185 373
• Naturewatch Foundation Investigation on named individuals concerned in illegal persecution contact: Andrew@naturewatch.org or visit https://naturewatch.org/campaign/badger-baiting-in-the-uk/badger-baiting-take-action

Scotland

• Scottish Badgers online report form – click here.
• Scottish SPCA 03000 999 999

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You can also pass information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or click here to use the anonymous online form.

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Badger Sett disturbance by developers

Almost 50% of all incidents recorded by Scottish Badgers and the Badger Trust relate to interference with badger setts ~ most of which could be avoided if the persons involved had sought appropriate advice. These types of offences often involve forestry operations, agricultural tasks and other lawful actions such as development of land for building purposes. The unnecessary illegal interference with setts can cause delays to works and can be expensive to resolve if not properly planned. Early identification of a sett where it might come into conflict with your planned legal operations can therefore save time and ultimately money.

If you have identified a problem with a badger sett then there is a plethora of free advice which can be used to stop you getting into a position where you could be facing a criminal investigation. In the first instance contact your local office:

Natural England
Natural Resources Wales 0300 065 3000
Scottish Natural Heritage 01463 725364
Department of the Environment Northern Ireland 02890 569551

Many areas also have local badger groups and you can find their contact details at Badger Trust or Scottish Badgers

All above text was kindly supplied by the Badger Persecution Priority Delivery Group

The Persecution of Badgers: A Guide for Investigators in England & Wales

The Badger Persecution Priority Delivery Group

The Badger Persecution PDG has a range of members and meets quarterly to tackle badger persecution across the UK. In 2019, Insp Kevin Kelly (North Yorkshire Police) was appointed as the new chair. The first newsletter was soon produced and can be found here:

• Badger Persecution PDG Newsletter ~ Issue 1 – Oct 2019
• Badger Persecution PDG Newsletter ~ Issue 2 – Jan 2020
• Badger Persecution PDG Newsletter ~ Issue 3 – Oct 2020

Operation Badger (formerly Operation MELES)

Operation Badger is an intelligence-led UK-wide police operation gathering evidence of badger persecution and identifying and targeting offenders with a view to prosecution.  It is supported by Badger Trust, Scottish Badgers, NWCU, local badger groups and police wildlife crime units.

Operation Badger relies on members of the public to play a pivotal role and report incidents where it is suspected that there has been a breach of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992.

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Training

The Badger Trust offer several training courses across England & Wales

INTRODUCTION TO BADGERS AND WILDLIFE CRIME
One day introduction course open to anyone with an interest in badgers.

POLICE BADGER PERSECUTION TRAINING
The Badger Trust provides training to police forces across England and Wales.

Click here for list of current courses.

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Scottish Badgers offers free training to police officers in Scotland:

info@scottishbadgers.org.uk

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