Increased amount of Badger roadkill

[Dadzinsky]

Has anybody else noticed an increase of the amount of Badgers dead at the side of the road? I travel about 30 miles each day to work, through the Lincolnshire countryside, and just lately must be seeing on average 1 additional dead Badger a day at the side of the road..none of them seem to have any injuries/damage although I believe they are rather sturdy creatures.

[muscardinus]

Over the last two weeks there's been noticeably more badger roadkill near me in Somerset than in Nov-Jan, definitely.

But doesn't this happen every year? I'm not sure if it is of any significance. Maybe a badger expert can enlighten us.

[sunnydale]

I too saw a dead Badger on the A6, (between Taddington and Buxton) last night. In fact, I had to swerve a little to avoid running over it.
It's a 50mph road but cars speed along much faster than that. Even if motorists kept to the speed limit, a Badger wouldn't stand a chance if hit.
They are becoming much more active now the cold snap is over, so I guess it's going to become a common sight once again
Just wish more could be done...but I'm not sure what.

[Blackdogjnr]

Some argue that those who have been deliberately killing badgers often place them at the roadside to look like an accident....

[Dadzinsky]

Really? as in baiting etc, would the Badgers then show signs of abuse etc?

[birding dave]

We're coming into the season where female badgers are giving birth, so what you are seeing is possibly the young badgers that have been driven out of the sett and are looking for their own territory, so travelling to new areas. Blackdogjnr is quite right, this is a common ploy of badger baiters. The badgers are usually so mutilated by being run over that any other injuries won't be noticed.

[Dadzinsky]

The ones I'm seeing, aren't mutilated, or run over, no visible injuries as I'm driving past, just the Badger, dead at the side of the road, so may have just been clipped etc.. Don't really fancy poking around the corpse looking for injuries, in case people get the wrong idea

[big bill]

In the past 2 weeks there have been 5 badgers seen at the side of the A96 between Nairn and Inverness all victems of the road it seems up on last year when only spotted 2.No deer this year so far

[diapasonbill]

Hello Dadzinsky,

I also had a roadkill badger just down the road from me recently, I contacted the recorder for the local wildlife trust and here is an extract from his email:

'Thank you for contacting me regarding this, February and march are bad months for male badgers getting killed, this is the fourth reported to me today in Suffolk!'

Sadly, I still have yet to see a live badger, the only ones I have seen 'in the flesh' have been dead. Some groups keep records, so it may be worth contacting your local wildlife trust or Badger Group if you have one.

Bill.

[sunnydale]

Originally Posted by Dadzinsky

Don't really fancy poking around the corpse looking for injuries, in case people get the wrong idea

Well, if it was safe to do so, then I would pull over and at least move the Badger from the road.
It may sound silly but the thought of cars repeatedly hitting/driving over the animal really gets to me....even if it is already dead

A bit off topic, but a blackbird once flew under my car while I was driving and when I looked through my mirror, I could see it dead on the road. I stopped, walked back and picked it up. I buried it in my garden within the hour.
I just couldn't leave it there to be completely mutilated by other cars running over it.