The Dublin and Wicklow badger group is an association whose members have a shared interest in badgers. Activities include
Surveys:Mapping and recording the location of badger setts and badger numbers. This information is not shared publicly and is only used to assist in badger conservation.
Education: Promoting understanding of and pride in one of our most recognisable wild animals. Members give talks, in schools e.g., on request.
Protection: Helping to detect violations of the law and ensure the prosecution of anyone found killing or interfering with badgers, a protected species under the Wildlife Act (1976; amended 2000), or their setts.
Rescue: Facilitating the rehabilitation and release of sick, injured or orphaned badgers (using our connections with animal welfare organizations, veterinarians & landowners).
Advice: Helping landowners and gardeners with badger problems.
Advocacy: Encouraging badger-friendly farming and land use and promoting awareness and appreciation of our wildlife generally.
Volunteering: We are available to assist in badger research. Members include qualified scientists.
Watching badgers: Last but not least, simply watching badgers!
Membership of the group is free of charge and is open to all.
Posted by Admin, Saturday, 9th November 2019 @ 11:41pm
The Dublin and Wicklow badger group was well represented at a presentation hosted by Birdwatch Ireland by Dr. Aoibheann Gaughran of Trinity College Dublin on 5th of November on her doctoral work on the impact of roadworks on the ranging behaviour of badgers.
The study was done before during and after the N11 roadworks in Wicklow and examined the effects of these on badger behaviour via GPS collars fitted to a total of 138 badgers. Contrary to prior expectations of some in the Irish farming community the roadworks had little or no effect on badger behaviour in terms of the disruption of territories (with possible risk of spreading bovine TB by any infected animals). However, the study did reveal new details of badger behaviour, in particular, "super-ranging" -- that is long distance extra-territorial excursions -- by one fifth of male badgers, and some interesting gender differences in the dispersal of adults from their natal territories, with females visiting a larger number of adjacent social groups before finding a new sett. The work is undoubtedly an important contribution to understanding badger ecology and, as result, to tackling the incidence of bovine TB in Ireland.
Posted by Admin, Wednesday, 23rd October 2013 @ 4:39pm
This speech by Dominic Dyer, Policy Advisor at Care for The Wild, at the UK Badger Trust's 2013 conference is worth watching. Whether one agrees with his analysis or not the level of public support for wildlife and environmental conservation in the UK is impressive. Meanwhile, here in Ireland, the Irish Wildlife Trust has laid off its only employee. Dyer's twitter feed is here: https://twitter.com/domdyer70.
