Reply To: Badger mauling

[RayGod]

I have been feeding hedgehogs for 3 years , with cameras at the feeding stations. For the first time since I started , I have had a badger looking for the food in the feeding boxes. The first time he succeeded in opening the boxes, but on subsequent visits due to increased security he gave up trying. The hedgehogs returned to the food soon after he left, and I could see no evidence of predation. My garden has thick hedgerows and dense undergrowth close to the feeding stations which gives good shelter for the hogs. There could be as many as 8 or 10 regular hogs visiting and I am concerned for their safety. I have installed a 500 watt security light which comes on when anything larger than a hog comes in range. There is no obvious situation for a badger sett in the gardens which surround my house, the only suitable habitat is the local golf course which has a housing estate and a major road intervening. We have foxes on a regular basis, but I assumed badgers would be too wary to cross through urban areas. It did occur to me that the current traffic reduction might be e reason for this to be happening. I am very reluctant to stop putting out food and particularly water, of which there is no obvious source in my locality. I can’t see that not feeding the hogs will stop a badger from taking them if it so inclined. There is nowhere else for them to go other than the surrounding gardens, where they will no doubt succumb to the many and varied illnesses which come with insufficient food and water. Can anyone confirm that badgers are deterred by human urine ( male!), or is this a fairytale. I have tried it around the feeding stations, much to my wife’s dismay, and I haven’t seen the badger for a week, but that could be a coincidence. I hope it works.
Thank you for any input.
Ray Godwin