The Social Badger

The badger is a social animal, but only up to a point. Relatives and some immigrants live together and collectively defend a territory, but they do not go round in a pack or herd. They do not help each other in the rearing of cubs. They rely mainly on scent as a means of communication, with very little in the way of visual displays or vocalizations. The author calls this "social life at its most primitive" and examines the ecological factors that have moulded it. A result of ten years' research on European badgers, the book focuses on how and why they live in groups. As long as sites for setts are available, then most of the rest of badger ecology revolves around food. Food supply is in turn dependent on land use. There is little doubt that agriculture and other human activity has a tremendous effect on the life patterns of badgers in most European countries. In the final chapter the author suggests management practices to promote the coexistence of landowners, agriculture, and badgers, based on a scientific understanding of how badgers really live and what is important to them.