badgers

madmax · #1 (**permalink**) 06-01-2011, 03:05 PM

DRIVING DOWN A55 IN NORTH WALES WERE I LIVE WITHIN 10MILES I COUNTED 17 DEAD BADGERS AND 12 FOX,S . I WAS VERY ANGRY AND SAD 2 C THIS SITE B4 ME . IM SURE SOMETHING CAN B DONE 2 WARN PEOPLE 2 TAKE MORE CARE WHEN DRIVING DOWN THIS ROAD.

((

mammalrecorder · #2 (**permalink**) 06-01-2011, 03:09 PM

Did you tell your local Badger Group Max? They are always interested to know the locations of Badger R.T.A.s.

Dogghound · #3 (**permalink**) 06-01-2011, 03:11 PM

How old is this road?

Were they spread out or centered around certain areas?

madmax · #4 (**permalink**) 07-01-2011, 03:02 PM

The a55 is the main route throu wales so its very busy road but people sud watch out 4 wildlife or some signs warning the public.

Littlesparrow · #5 (**permalink**) 07-01-2011, 03:15 PM

Thats very sad, such a waste, we see the occasional road kill badger and fox on the roads around here but nothing like the slaughter on your road.
In Germany they seem to invest in miles of fencing along their motorways with wildlife bridges. They are mainly for the deer but I can't remember seeing any dead animals there on the roads.

Ladywell · #6 (**permalink**) 07-01-2011, 03:22 PM

We travelled on this road at the beginning of November and remarked how many dead badgers there were - didn't count them but there were a lot. I did see some badger warning signs at some point but can't remember which stretch of the road they were on.

Ladywell · #7 (**permalink**) 07-01-2011, 03:25 PM

Seems people are aware of the problem - there is a Facebook Page 'Save the Badgers on the A55'.

C J Smallman · #8 (**permalink**) 07-01-2011, 03:30 PM

The thing with Badgers is they will just put their head down and go they wont stop for traffic. Where as Foxes will hang back and then make a dash for it when it seems quiet thats when a speeding car will fool it.

It is a shame we see them on the side of the road here all the time.

They have trouble with speeding cars and Fallow Deer on Cannock Chase

Chris.

mammalrecorder · #9 (**permalink**) 08-01-2011, 10:33 AM

The current estimate is that around 45,000-50,000 badgers are killed on U.K. roads each year and of these about 5,000 to 8,000 will be in Wales. 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.

Repeorting R.T.A.s to your local Badger Group whereever you may be in the country is a great help as it enables them to plan and loby for mitigation and also locate previously unknown setts.

The contact details of your local Badger Group in England and Wales can be found at The Badger Trust: Home Page. In Scotland you should contact ian@scottishbadgers.org.uk with details.

Thanks

Andy

JeffH · #10 (**permalink**) 09-01-2011, 07:43 PM

Are you sure these were all roadkill? I'm afraid it's not unknown for some farmers and others to shoot/trap/poison badgers and foxes and then dump the corpses by the roadside to make it look like roadkill

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers, Barn Owls and Avocets)