Dead Badger

[Littlesparrow]

While out walking the dog today we came across a dead badger in a field, outside a set and not near any roads. It could have died of old age, but with the horrible cold weather we have had lately we thought it could be related to this. There were no obvious injuries apart from damage to its back paw pads, frost bite? or something nibbling it, another walker said it had been there a week.
Has anyone else found any dead badgers which could have been killed by the cold?

[Dogghound]

It could be other factors such as age, disease, poison/gas etc. Badgers extend right up into Scandinavia and Russia where temperatures are much colder, they are not a species at high risk in cold weather. They often live in groups underground which are quite warm and sheltered from the frost/cold.

[Littlesparrow]

I haven't heard of the farmers around here doing any culls, but i would have thought if they were the would have removed the evidence before a week if they had.

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Littlesparrow

I haven't heard of the farmers around here doing any culls, but i would have thought if they were the would have removed the evidence before a week if they had.

If they were its illegal so hopefully not, the poison/gas was more of an example than diagnosis.

[Burko]

I could have been hit by a vehicle and scarpered off and eventually succumbed to internal injuries.
They can endure quite an impact and still run off.

[Littlesparrow]

It was in the middle of a field surrounded by more fields, no roads anywhere near Burko, I couldn't see anything wrong with it apart from the soles of the back pads looking raw, like blisters had burst which is why i thought of frost bite.
My daughter said she saw bite marks on the Badger's neck, but I didn't see this and it doesn't show up on the photo. I have seen badgers fight each other a couple of times and they cause quite bad bloody wounds. The badgers nose looked a bit red which I thought at the time was from digging but it could have been an injury.
out of interest, how long do wild Badgers live?

[Dogghound]

The bites could be something to do with the death, or breeding, hard to say. Maximum recorded lifespan in the wild is about 14 years. About 50% of cubs die in their first year. After than there is a adult mortality rate of around 20-30% a year. Interestingly males have a higher mortality so adult populations are dominated by female in most cases.

[Littlesparrow]

14 years sounds quite a good age to me, I can't remember what foxes live to but I think it was a lot less than that probably about half that. Unfortunately when I'm driving about I see the occasional dead badger and fox at the side of the road, cars must account for a good few deaths.

[mammalrecorder]

The current estimate is that around 45,000-50,000 badgers are killed on U.K. roads each year. Clearly the number of actual deaths will vary from year to year but sadly the underlying trend has been upwards for the last twenty years.

From the photo your badger shows no obvious signs of having been gassed and badgers that are usually die in the far ends of soft stopped setts but it is worth remembering that cyanide is lethal to all mammals, including us and you should NEVER touch or interfere with a sett or animal that you think may have been gassed.

Your local Badger Group would be interested to know about it if you have not already told them.

Badgers like people die for all sorts of reasons unconnected with foul play but an open mind is always a good thing.

Andy

[Littlesparrow]

Thank you Andy, I hadn't thought to tell any badger groups, I will see if we have a local one.