National Badger Day is celebrated every year on October 6 to appreciate the beauty of badgers and to share our love for these amazing animals.
And yet, badger crime continues to persist across the UK. It comes in many forms but the most horrific is the practice of badger baiting. Badgers are also killed illegally in many other ways such as snaring, gassing, poisoning, shooting or lamping.
Badgers are a UK wildlife crime priority. We have a Badger Crime Priority Delivery Group which has a range of members and meets quarterly to tackle badger crime. It uses an intelligence led approach under Operation Badger.
In 2024 Operation Badger has been relaunched to turn the tide on badger crime. A new video has been produced to increase awareness and fight back against badger persecution. Please share widely to inform the public.
The Badger Trust have an online information library which contains a wealth of further information.
DC Aaron Flint, the Chair of the UK Badger Crime Priority Delivery Group said:
“National Badger Day is a significant day to re-launch Operation Badger, which aims to increase awareness of the many types of criminal activity that threaten badgers and to educate and encourage reporting of suspected crimes against them.”
Craig Fellowes MBE, Badger Trust Wildlife Crime Officer and Trainer, said:
“Badgers have a long history of cruelty and persecution in the UK, spanning hundreds of years. To this day, badgers remain among the most persecuted of all species despite having one of the highest levels of legal protection. It’s up to all of us to work together to protect our badgers and stand up for them to stop badger crime. This new Operation Badger short film and the resources in the information library explain how.”
