Badgers need our help in the heat
12th August 2003
Alex loves going on badger watches with his local
club.
Here he reports on why these animals are in peril as the result
of the last few hot summers.
"I'm a member of a badger watch group in Gloucestershire.
I don't know if there's badgers in my back garden but there are
definitely badgers in the woods about a mile from my house.
Worm shortage
The badgers are having a
rough time at the moment 'cos it's really really hot for them - and
the ground is too dry for them to find worms.
The worms are badgers' favourite food and at the moment they
don't bother coming up to the surface.
So badgers are travelling further to find worms, sometimes
crossing roads so then some get killed by cars.
Starving to death
They also get into ploughed farmers fields, but some farmers
don't like this and they chase them away, put traps down and
sometimes shoot the badgers.
Lots of badger cubs are starving to death because their mother
can't get enough food to produce milk for them.
Leave them food
You can help badgers by leaving some worms by their set. Don't
get too close though, because they could get frightened if they
think you're attacking them.
If your mum doesn't want you digging up your garden you can
always put some dog or cat food out.
At my badger watch group we're also trying to help by putting out
food and water and visiting sets to make sure sick badgers get help.
With the threat of global warming the badger numbers might drop
quite rapidly if we don't look after them properly."
Alex, 9, Gloucestershire
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