No – this isn’t Mr. Badger of Wind in the Willows fame, nor is it the viral “Crazy ___ Honey Badger” of YouTube fame… this is the American Badger, a somewhat reclusive member of the Canadian Endangered Species list and the only badger of its kind in Canada. Keeping travellers of all kinds moving safely along our highways is our number one priority and badgers are no exception to this rule. Our wildlife underpasses (and overpasses) are popular paths for wildlife and we monitor them with cameras to see how and when wildlife use them, to get a better sense of ways we can improve our passages.
Our cams captured a group of American Badgers doing a bunch of badger things like: roaming, sniffing, digging and, well, just chilling in our underpasses. We even spotted a badger with a ground squirrel in its mouth for supper!
We just had to share with you. You can watch the video below (or on YouTube here):
Did You Know?
- A badger lives in an underground burrow
- American badgers are almost entirely solitary, except female badgers with kits. On the other hand, the European badger lives in clans or “cetes”
- Badgers can run up to 30 km per hour
Do you have a question about this, or anything else we do here in the ministry? Let us know in the comments below.
Can you send me more information on your wildlife underpass projects? I’m looking for designs, costs, success- especially for martens.
Hello there Mike,
We would like to connect you directly with our staff responsible for the program, so you can work with them.
ENG.Admin@gov.bc.ca
Thanks!
They look like they are having a great time in that spot, rolling and sunbathing and more! Thanks for sharing <3
Thanks for your comment Lisa! We are happy to be able to share these images. Take care.
Lately, with headlines of improving habitats and ecosystems, I am wondering if greater numbers of badgers, wolverines and other endangered wildlife are starting to show up in your cameras.
Great question Evan – we have sent it to our environmental group and will let you know what we hear back.
Can we get some on Hwy 3 in the West Boundary?
Hi CS – we will share your request forward on your behalf. Is there a particular animal you see along this stretch of road?