Badgers in Wales - New Campaign spotlights badgers in Welsh culture and conservation
- Badger Trust Staff Team
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Cymru – Badgers Belong Here | Mae Moch Daear yn Perthyn Yma
Badger Trust launches its new national campaign, “Cymru – Badgers Belong Here | Mae Moch Daear yn Perthyn Yma”, celebrating the deep-rooted place of badgers in Wales’s landscape, folklore, and natural heritage, while calling for urgent action to protect them for future generations.
Badgers in Wales: A cultural and ecological legacy
For thousands of years, badgers (mochyn daear, or “earth pig”) have called Wales home. They appear in poetry as broch, are etched into place names and legends, and remain symbols of resilience and wisdom in folklore. In story and song, they are guardians of the night, while in nature they serve as vital ecosystem engineers, shaping soils and habitats that benefit countless species.
Threats facing badgers in Wales
Despite their cultural and ecological significance, badgers face mounting threats in Wales, including illegal persecution and sett interference, habitat loss and political pressure for badger culling.
These pressures endanger both badgers and the wider countryside that depends on healthy ecosystems.
Science-led solutions to Bovine TB
The campaign highlights Wales as a leader in science-led approaches to bovine TB (bTB). Unlike England, where mass badger culling continues even against scientific advice, the Welsh strategy focuses on improved cattle testing, stronger farm controls, and protecting wildlife, a humane and effective solution that is showing success.
Nigel Palmer, Chief Executive of Badger Trust, said:
“Badgers are more than just wildlife in Wales; they are part of our cultural story, our language, and our land. Wales has demonstrated to the world that science-led solutions can protect both farming and the natural environment. With Senedd elections on the horizon, we must ensure this progress continues.”
“Mae moch daear yn fwy na dim ond bywyd gwyllt yng Nghymru, maen nhw’n rhan o’n stori ddiwylliannol, ein hiaith, a’n tir. Mae Cymru wedi dangos i’r byd y gall atebion sy’n cael eu harwain gan wyddoniaeth ddiogelu ffermio a byd natur. Gydag etholiadau’r Senedd ar y gorwel, mae’n hollbwysig sicrhau bod y cynnydd hwn yn parhau.”
Local action, national impact
Across Wales, five established badger groups, soon to be joined by a new group in Pembrokeshire, form the backbone of local badger conservation, powered entirely by volunteers.
For decades, these groups have worked tirelessly to protect badgers, but they now need new members to secure their future. Joining a badger group is not only vital for wildlife, it’s also rewarding: offering the chance to meet like-minded people, gain new skills, and discover the fascinating world of badgers and their place in Wales.
Local groups provide advice, advocacy, and hands-on support for badgers, enabling people and nature to live side by side in an increasingly challenging environment.
How to Support the Campaign
The Cymru – Badgers Belong Here campaign calls on the public to:
Reconnect with local badger groups or start a new group in your local area.
Celebrate the cultural and natural heritage of badgers in Wales.
Learn to recognise, record, and report badger crime.
Challenge misinformation about badgers and bTB.
Tell your MS that Badgers Belong Here, and to support evidence-led policy.
Members of the public are urged to learn more, connect to their rich wildlife heritage in Wales and proudly say: Cymru – Badgers Belong Here. Mae Moch Daear yn Perthyn Yma.
Find out more
Resources, including a bilingual campaign leaflet, educational articles, and group contacts, are now live at: https://www.badgertrust.org.uk/cymru
