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Badger: road kill victims

Traffic is a major hazard for the badger population in the Netherlands.

Trends


Badger road kills are becoming more numerous because the badger population is growing and the traffic is increasing on roads where no measures have been taken to protect badgers.

Badgers are nocturnal animals, leaving their sets at dusk to forage for food in the surrounding areas. They travel long distances to do so, and roads are major barriers to them. Many badgers fall victim to traffic. Though numerous measures are taken to protect them (fences along roads, badger tunnels), every year an estimated 25% of the badger population is killed on the roads.

Technical note


The graph shows road kill badgers reported to the Vereniging Das en Boom. In addition, there are deaths indirectly caused by traffic accidents: every year scores of suckling badger cubs starve to death after their mothers are killed on the roads.

References


  • Lange, R., A. Martens, K. Schulte Fischedick en F. van der Vliet (2002). Op zoek naar zoogdieren. KNNV en VZZ. Utrecht en Arnhem.

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This page was last changed on 21 April 2004  (version 01).