Badgers cubs
Cubs having snuggled down in the sett since February, it is time from May to venture above ground
Badger cubs in the UK are typically born in February. They spend their first eight to ten weeks underground in a safe sett, only emerging above ground for the first time in late spring, usually around mid-to-late April or May.
Here is how they grow and develop:
Birth (February): Cubs are born blind, weigh between 75 g and 130 g, and have fine white fur.
5–7 Weeks: Their eyes open for the first time.
8–10 Weeks: Cubs peek above ground from the sett entrances.
12 Weeks: The mother weans them and they learn to forage alongside her.
5–16 Weeks: They are mostly independent and can forage alone.
In the UK, badger cub mortality is extremely high, with an average of 50% to 66% of cubs dying in their first year. Only one out of every three cubs typically survives to reach one year of age.
Primary Causes of Mortality
Starvation and Climate: Lack of food availability is the primary natural driver of cub deaths. Drought years significantly decrease the survival rate, as it severely limits their major food source (earthworms).
Road Traffic Accidents: Badgers are habitual creatures, and roads built across ancient paths lead to major casualties. UK roads kill over 50,000 badgers of all age groups every year, and these accidents leave many dependent cubs orphaned.
Predation: While adult badgers have no natural predators in the UK, young cubs can occasionally fall prey to foxes
The local badger group, on which Mummy is on the committee, has orphaned cubs to look after each year. Experienced members hand-rear them. Once strong, they relocate to the wildlife hospital, joining others within a larger enclosure.
The badger group then always tries to find somewhere suitable to build an artificial badger sett to release the cubs together. The badgers receive food support initially, but then they return to the wild and their own sett. They often then build their own outlier setts in the area.
The Anipal Times 