Recognise, Record, Report

What to do if you suspect a badger crime? 

Badger Trust encourages anyone who witnesses badger persecution in person or online to remember the Three Rs: Recognise, Record and Report 

And for badger crime shared online please Don’t repost it, Report it.

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Recognise

The first milestone for protecting badgers from persecution is to recognise signs of sett interference. 

Is the crime currently taking place? -Call 999. The following examples are key indicators that badger crime is in progress:

• Are there people digging into a badger sett?

• Can you see high powered torches/lamps, can you hear dogs?

• Can you see dogs fighting or chasing a badger?

 

Has the crime already taken place? The following examples are key indicators that a badger crime has happened:

• Have badger sett entrances been blocked with soil or other debris?

• Is there visible damage to tunnels or chambers from ploughing, harvesting or use of heavy machinery?

• Has there been a complete destruction of a sett?

• Are there injured dogs at the scene or left over shovels?

• Have you found a dead or injured badger?

 

Record

The second important principle is to record evidence that the sett has been interfered with without compromising the crime scene. Photographs and videos can be used in court, so the evidence must be reliable and accurately recorded. Most crucially, evidence must be provided that the sett is active.

 

Proving current use

A badger sett in ‘current use’ will have the following signs:

• open sett entrance holes

• freshly dug soil at the entrance (known as a ‘spoil heap’)

• pawprints, hair, scratch marks

• faeces pit (known as ‘latrines’)

• a well-used run

• signs of foraging

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Proving crime

Any malicious or negligent interference with a badger sett is illegal under the Protection of Badgers Act (1992). Interference should be photographed without disturbing the crime scene. It is helpful to remember these simple tips:

When and where

When recording on a phone, turn location on so that the location is recorded in the footage metadata. Include landmarks if filming for further evidence of location.

 

Narrate

When using video, tell the camera what you can see, but limit the narration to objective information.

 

Demonstrate scale

If you are taking close-ups, consider placing a standard object (e.g. a coin or shoe) into the shot to demonstrate scale. Better still, use a tape measure.

 

Label the evidence

If you are documenting multiple similar-looking items, consider numbering them to help you distinguish between them later. You could use numbered pieces of paper or fingers.