Can You Interfere with A Badger Sett or Fox den?

 

A question I get asked is "Can I move or block a badger sett?" Well...

It is an offence to: Wilfully kill, injure or take a badger (or attempt to do so) Cruelly ill-treat a badger. Dig for a badger.

And badger setts are protected by law

There were two situations in Bristol in which contractors for developers cleared the are around badger setts and the contractors were told that badgers were there but told those people pointing that out to "***** off" At that point I contacted the developers who pleaded ignorance of the badger setts and, knowing the legal ramifications as well as bad publicity, had their contractors return all material back around the setts and cordoned off the setts with a notice that there were setts and they were not to be interfered with.

Is it illegal to block a fox den?

If the space is occupied by foxes or other animals, it is illegal to trap them by blocking the entrance. Instead, wait until the foxes stop using the space and then block the entrance before the next breeding season which lasts from December to May. Foxes don't usually stay in a den after they have reared their cubs.

Is it illegal to destroy a fox den UK?

Failure to follow the law could land you with a fine of £5,000 and a jail sentence of up to 6 months. Source: gov.uk. If you've found a den in your home, you must not block or destroy it. The reason is that it's hard to know if foxes are still inside as they can go deep underground.

We have had a situation at two schools in the city (Bristol) in which there were concerns over fox dens with cubs. The schools saw the foxes as a 'threat' and one wanted to call in a pest control company that had no experience with foxes to trap and carry out a "hard release" outside of the City and DEFRA notes that hard releases are, basically, frowned on. It means a city fox with young and knowing where and how to get food is suddenly in an alien environment where it might not be able to hunt and find food or another den site.

Luckily, due to the efforts of a wildlife rescuer, the foxes moved on from that school. The second school called in Health & Safety who assessed the situation and location and informed the school that there was no problem and that the den had to remain until the foxes moved on. It was also clearly stated that foxes are "not a threat to humans". A second school also called in Health and Safety and were told the same thing.

It is almost unbelievable in an age when schools push the environmental threats and have projects based on the latest TV wildlife show, that they do not get a camera and make the foxes on school premises a real live "wildlife on our doorstep" project.

The fox population in the UK is currently dwindling sharply and badgers are now pushed (thanks to VERY bad science and authorities who find it easier to pay out huge amounts to people who kill them) toward the point where their evading extinction cannot be avoided.

Is it not about time we started acting like a "nation of animal lovers" rather than a nation willing to let this all go on while pizza guzzling and TV binge watching?

Extinction is Forever