Badgers in Spring…..
Badgers are very active in spring after keeping warm and conserving energy throughout winter.
February marks prime cub birth season within the UK. A litter normally has 1-5 cubs, and they will remain tucked up in the sett, feeding from their mum. They will stay underground for a few months.
February and March are key mating times. Badgers use delayed implantation to ensure cubs are born between January and March. While mating can occur 11 months prior, actual gestation is only 6-8 weeks, as fertilized embryos (blastocysts) remain dormant in the uterus until early winter.
February through to May is a very active time for badgers, with them needing food, especially nursing mums.
There can be hierarchical changes and territorial fights.
Regrettably, increased activity presently heightens badger transit and their vulnerability to road fatalities.
Our mummy is a volunteer for our local badger group, and that means the sad role of going out to deceased badgers on our roads to check they are not lactating females. Should that be true, finding the abandoned cubs requires urgent attention to ensure their survival. This is especially relevant to lactating female foxes too at this time of year.
We can see that our visiting mama badger is lactating, so we will hope to see cubs in the forthcoming months
For more information, visit The Badger Trust and Wildlife Trusts
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