What to do when the Badgers move in...Step 1

Well it is actually Step 2 ( Step 1 involved lots of marching across grass and treading tufts back in and swearing- not pretty!)!


Step 1(2) get up early in Morning and take pictures of damage to prove it has really happened.


Get onto the computer- first search Spring watch,


'Kate Humble here now!' Or better still ,'Simon King pitch your tent at the bottom of my garden and I will show you a thing or too!'


But Spring watch is still in 2008 cycle and has not caught up on the seismic happenings in our area.


Badgers have their own website though. Their own Trust (though there's no money in it after the recent bank crisis)!


I decide to use the 'Enquiries' portal- though this was not really a polite enquiry more like a primal scream for help!





help! we have always had a badger travelling through our property and have been aware of this for some years, however the night before last there was major activity and now the lawn near the bank is trashed with lots of small scrapes and there is a huge hole being dug in the bank! The photos do not do justice. We have seen the badger briefly and can hear it crashing around in the bushes- not subtle! What should we expect next..?
Is my cat going to be ok?
What can we do to help?
Should it be moving in? we live in a very urban area you can hear the M60 and there are flats behind us!
Could you help me with advice?





A nice man called Keith mailed back...





Hi


Firstly, there is no danger to your cats, the only
way there would be an issue would be if a cat were to go down inside a badger sett where a
female badgers had cubs and defended them. If you are happy for the badgers to remain, try providing small amounts of food for them, such as dried dog / cat food or bird peanuts scattered near to the sett. This may reduce the amount of digging for food that is carried out.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Keith


Meanwhile excavations have progressed!