Who’s Who in the Wild – Amazing Badgers

AMCS

Did you know that Anarchist Mountain isn’t just home to some really cool people, but also an incredibly cool endangered species?

Some of us on the mountain may have noticed that they have had an American Badger take up residence on our properties. Count yourself lucky if you have seen one or more, as they are an endangered species in B.C.

These amazing carnivores (or meat eaters) are not only endangered in this province, but critically endangered under both the federal and provincial Species At Risk Acts – meaning their population numbers are so low that the species could disappear from BC. In the entire Okanagan Valley, there are only between 25 to 30 badgers remaining.

Road mortality is the most significant threat to badgers, along with habitat loss due residential and commercial development, loss of preferred prey, and direct or indirect killing by people. Also, the extremely low population numbers in the Okanagan make it difficult for badgers to find a mate, which, along with road mortality, impacts species recovery efforts.

Killing, harming or harassing a badger or damaging an active burrow is a chargeable offense under the Species at Risk Act and provincial Wildlife Act.

Badgers are an important part of a healthy ecosystem here on Anarchist Mountain. They eat many household and farm pests helping keeping populations in check, and their abandoned burrows are often adopted by coyotes and foxes to use as den sites to raise their pups. Snakes, like the Western rattlesnake, will also use abandoned burrows. Columbian ground squirrels and yellow-bellied marmots are two of the badger’s favorite menu items, but they also eat squirrels, chipmunks, mice, voles, pack rats, insects, snakes, and even birds and bird eggs when the opportunity comes along.

Because badgers are elusive and mainly nocturnal (prefer to come out at night to explore and hunt), and don’t like to interact with people or pets, their burrows are often the best indication that one is living close by. The opening to a burrow is about the size and shape of a football, with excavated soil piled in a fan shape right outside the entrance. The burrows can be up to 9 metres long and 3 metres deep, and badgers will sometimes dig multiple burrows in an area.

American badgers are solitary (meaning they live alone) with the exception of a female with kits (her young). Female badgers give birth in the burrow to one to five kits between March and April. The kits stay with mom for up to six months, learning how to hunt and survive on their own. Survival of the kits is low, with just over 50 percent of the litter surviving to adulthood which, sadly, contributes to the extremely low numbers of badgers in the province. Kits typically strike out on their own in July and August which is when mating occurs.

What Can We Do to Protect Badgers on Anarchist

  • Do what you can to minimize damage to open forests and native grassland around your property. Native habitat is not only important for badgers, but for so many other animals that call Anarchist Mountain home.
  • If you have an active burrow close to your house (under your deck, for example) and are concerned about the safety of your family or pets, remember they do not go looking for trouble and will avoid interactions with people unless threatened. Like any wild animal, they can be defensive of their territory – especially if a mom feels her kits are in danger.
    • If you’re able to accommodate the badger, that’s ideal. This may mean a modification to activities in proximity to the burrow – such as keeping pets away – but its also a great opportunity to learn about badgers and educate children about the importance of having respect for wildlife. And, it’s guaranteed you won’t have any mice, chipmunks or ground squirrels around!
    • If the badger becomes aggressive towards you, your family or pets, please contact the BC Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-RAPP (7277) to ask for assistance.
  • If you’re concerned about getting injured if you step in an active burrow, rather than filling it in or dumping rocks in the burrow entrance, mark it with flagging tape instead. This will keep you and your family safe, and let the badger keep its burrow.
  • Avoid the use of rodent poisons (or rodenticides). Poison used to kill rodents often ends up killing other, non-target species, including badgers, when they eat a poisoned animal, resulting in a slow, painful and cruel death.
  • If you see a badger (dead or alive) or come across an active or inactive burrow, please report it to the BC Badger Recovery Team’s Report a Badger program at the following link https://badgers.bc.ca/. The team tracks where badgers have been seen, where their burrows are located, and, if deceased, how the animal died. This information is very important for helping conservation groups and the provincial and federal governments develop recovery plans that will assure the long-term survival of American Badgers in BC.

If you are having a situation with a badger where you or your family’s safety may be at risk, contact the 24-hour RAPP hotline at 1-877-952-RAPP (7277).

Looking for more information about the amazing American Badger? The links below have loads of interesting badger facts.

Interested in a wildlife or environment-related topic linked to life on Anarchist Mountain that you think others in the community would want to learn about in our Who’s Who in the Wild series? Contact the Wildlife Safety Program at wildlife@amfrs.ca

Written by Selena Cole, AMFRS Wildlife Safety Program Lead who is also an environmental scientist.