Badgers are elusive wanderers of the night and few mammals are as
mysterious. Their nocturnal lifestyle means not many of us have ever
glimpsed their monochrome form as they sniff and bustle their way
through woodland or across pasture - yet most of us live far closer to a
Badger group than we might think. In Spotlight: Badgers James Lowen
explores all aspects of their lives including their communal living,
feeding habits, as well as the major threats to and conservation support
for Badgers.
These iconic omnivores are widely represented in folklore and have
permeated our popular culture. Generations of children have been
entranced by Badger in Kenneth Grahame's book Wind in the Willows,
however these determined yet mostly peaceful animals have also been
loathed and persecuted for centuries. Badger baiting is thankfully now
illegal, but the legal badger cull introduced in 2011 in parts of
Gloucestershire and Somerset remains in place following the 2015 general
election.
With so much politics surrounding Badgers in the UK, it's not easy to
get unbiassed information. In RSPB Spotlight: Badgers James Lowen
keeps a neutral tone on the debate about Badger culling. He describes
the history, from the first Badger found to be infected with bTB in 1972
and the subsequent gassing of setts from 1975 to 1982. He also outlines
the RSPB's stance on the Badger cull. As one of the UK's largest
landowners, the RSPB oppose Badger culling on their land, in favour of
vaccination, cattle testing, bio-security and movement controls.
The Spotlight series introduces readers to the lives and behaviours of
our favourite animals with eye-catching, colour photography and
informative expert text.
