American Badger: Grassland Gliders Going, Going… “Sweeping grasslands would probably not be among those typical images when you think of British Columbia. And yet our Latin name: Taxidea taxus jeffersonii grasslands are more endangered than old growth forests, and are home to more endangered species than any other habitats. “ (BC sub-species) Conservation status: Federally listed Where do badgers live in as Endangered. RED Listed in BC (endan - British Columbia? gered or threatened). The grasslands and dry forests of the Thompson, Okanagan, Boundary, Nicola, What is a Badger? Cariboo, and East Kootenay regions. Badgers are at risk! Less than 300 badgers Badgers are members of the Weasel family, re - are thought to live in our province now. lated to wolverines, otters, martens, and minks. There are seven species of Badgers in the world such as the African Honey Badger and the Indonesian Stink Badger. In North America there is one species of Badger. What do they look like? Badgers have a white stripe that runs down the top of their head, from the tip of their nose all the way to their shoulders. The black cheek patches (called “badges”) are how badgers get their name. Badgers are stout, shaggy ani - mals that look “flattened” because their hair is short on their backs and long on their sides. A Fragile Habitat Baby badgers are born in the spring. Young badgers stay with How do badgers live? their mothers until late August, Badgers live in burrows up to 9m long and when they leave home and try to 3m deep (that’s roughly the size of a big find a home range of their own. school bus). The entrance to the burrow is This is a very difficult time in the football sized and has a large pile of dirt on life of a badger. the doorstep. Female badgers give birth to one Badgers live a solitary existence, spending to five furry, blind kits, whose eyes time together only during mating and when open after four to six weeks. In B.C. kits (badger babies) are still dependent upon the average litter size is 1.4 kits. their mothers. Badgers need rodents to eat and isolated areas to dig burrows, sleep and raise young. Badgers are mostly nocturnal and hunt at night. Badger photos by Phillipe Verkerk Dick Cannings photo The Badger: an Okanagan (Syilx ) Story Please Don’t Badger Me! c m Story told by Martin Louie in 1972, retold by Richard Armstrong in 2007 Why are badgers and their grassland home endangered y k Hi, my name is yÅŸiÅŸutxn (sharp in British Columbia? claws). The syilx (Okanagan Indians) say Grasslands are found in areas that are too hot and dry for forests to establish. They are Helen Davis Photo that when I run across a field I look like I am characterized by bunchgrass, wildflowers, shrubs such as antelope brush, sagebrush and floating just above the ground. Some syilx rabbit brush, lichens and mosses. would say to their young ones, especially Kit’s Activity: Find badger words Most of our species at risk are found in the grasslands of the province. In many cases species the clumsy ones, or to the ones that tended are in trouble because of the loss or fragmentation of their habitat due to human activity. to drag their feet when they walked, that c m they should be more like me, and they These include: urban development, agricultural expansion, highways and roads cutting would refer to my ability to seemingly glide across habitat, off-road vehicle recreation and invasive weeds. or float over In the early 1900’s, badgers were widely persecuted because they were considered an y k the ground agricultural pest. even though Many badgers die each year trying to cross busy highways, roads, and railway lines. I have huge long sharp claws. Some syilx people say that I do FUN FACTS What you can do to help have the ability to Did you know... badgers and grasslands float over the ground, it is the only possible Report badger sightings and burrow locations to Answer in next edition way I would be able to get close enough to The badger is the fastest digging 1-888-223-4376 skŸukŸiyauta›x the ground squirrel to animal on earth, and the strongest catch him. for its size? Apparently, the badger Protect habitat where badgers and burrows are known I live mostly where I can hunt my favourite digs so quickly that digging can be to occur Answers to food, skŸukŸiyauta›x . I also like mice, go - considered one of its forms of loco - Watch for Badgers and other wildlife crossing roads questions from phers, and occasionally marmots. Coyote motion! They can dig up to a metre and highways the last edition of and I sometimes hunt together because he deep in a minute! Recognize badgers as important for rodent control and Spotlight on Species: also likes the same foods that I do. My spe - The badger is one of the only car - cial hunting trick that I like to use, is to plug nivores that burrows and eats other tolerate ground squirrels as their main food source 1.cat all but one of the ground squirrel’s en - burrowing animals? It is the only true Stay on established trails, roads and routes 2. badger, burrowing owl and trances. My “sometimes” hunting buddy burrowing predator in Canada, and Avoid introducing and spreading invasive weeds For western rattlesnake Coyote stands guard at one of the many serves an important role as a con - more information, visit www.rdos.bc.ca and closed entrances and if skŸukŸiyauta›x troller of rodent populations. 3. no toads do not have warts; www.weedsbc.ca they have glands tries to escape, Coyote will get him. There The burrows abandoned by bad - were many of us in our yÅŸiÅŸutxn clan gers may be used for nests by Learn more about Grasslands and the Best 4. the tiger salamander is a silent and we were spread out all over this coun - Burrowing Owls (which are also en - Management Practices associated with grassland predator. There are no try. However, in the syilx territory dangered), or as homes by a variety protection www.bcgrasslands.ca known sounds. (Okanagan Territory) our numbers are at a of other species including rat - scary all time low. tlesnakes and gopher snakes? Sources: www.bcgrasslands.org, www.badgers.bc.ca
The South Okanagan- The “Spotlight on Similkameen is home to one Species” program of the greatest promotes awareness of concentrations of species at species at risk and local risk in Canada. Our conservation initiatives. conservation efforts work to For more information call maintain this unique natural 250-492-4422. This program is supported by Environment Canada: Habitat area that has one of greatest concentrations of species diversity in Canada. Strong community Stewardship Program. support and involvement help create a positive balance between wildlife requirements and human needs and aspirations.
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