‘Badger’ by Professor Timothy J Roper.

Tim Roper is a highly qualified, experienced badger expert of long standing. He is well used to speaking and writing about badgers and is a first class communicator. There is now a wealth of information in circulation about very many aspects of badgers, but not everyone interested in natural history, and in this case badgers in particular, has the time or the inclination to search out the academic papers and trawl through the material to become better informed themselves. That is not a practical option.

TThe author sets out his purpose in writing the book in his foreword: “to review, as completely as is feasible in a book of this type, the existing scientific literature on badgers……..As a scientist I want to explain why things are the way they are……The difficulty, of course, is in conveying the nuts and bolts of hard scientific information and the excitement of ideas in an intelligible manner, without oversimplifying and, even more importantly, without losing the sense of wonder and delight in nature that motivates every enthusiastic naturalist and professional biologist. This is what I have tried to do.” In my opinion he has succeeded.

So, what do you want to know about badgers? Where did they come from, how long ago, what is their basic biology, how many are there, where do they live, what do they eat, how do they organise themselves socially? The answers to all these questions and more are within the 350 pages of main text. If you then want to go further, the author gives you brief references for the statements he makes in the text, and at the back of the book are some 19 pages of more detailed references. That way the flow of the narrative is not disrupted, the layout is not cluttered. Tim Roper, if you like has done all the hard work for us and presented the results of his work in a very readable, friendly style.

TIn addition to the text there are very many colour photographs, illustrations, charts and maps. All are well chosen and relevant.

Of particular interest to me was the chapter on” Badgers and People”, dealing with the ways the presence of badgers affects peoples’ lives and the adequacy of our response where we think one is necessary. To give just one example, the author highlights an important deficiency in the current licensing system relating to the closure of setts that are inconveniently located, in our terms, for one reason or another. The badgers are likely to have been there first, having selected what is for them the ideal location. If a decision is made to licence the closure of that sett there is insufficient attention given to the issue of what will become of the badgers once the sett has been closed. Sett closure is in effect a death sentence. He says “proper consideration of the fate of the occupants should be an essential part of all licensed operations that involve interference with a main or annexe sett.” I respectfully agree.

One of the areas of Professor Roper’s expertise is that of urban badgers, and he describes from his first hand experience the issues that can arise from the presence of badgers in built up areas, and, importantly, how those issues can be resolved. A topic close to the heart of the officers of ESBPS and a number of our members. Surprisingly, urban badgers seem to be a relatively recent phenomenon, as recently as the 1960’s in some places, but they are now especially common in Southern England. One explanation must surely be that urban expansion has converted what were once rural setts into urban setts, but the badgers continue to hang on in there.

An important and topical chapter is entitled “Badgers and Bovine Tuberculosis”. Tim Roper devotes 36 pages to the subject, and takes the reader through all the key elements, from a brief history of the disease, why badgers are implicated, the various reports and strategies tried and debated over the years, including of course the most contentious of all – culling. (The antiseptic word for killing) He was even in time to make reference to the proposal by Elin Jones, Rural Affairs Minister, to kill badgers in Wales, but at the time the book went to press the outcome of that wheeze was not known. Since the publication of the book of course we all know about the bloody nose Badger Trust were able to inflict on the minister through their triumph in the Court of Appeal.

Just one more example of the author’s style if I may. When discussing badger setts he says “Naturalists have always been fascinated by badger setts and it is easy to see why. Ancient setts, hidden away as they usually are in the depths of woodland and occupied by animals that are rarely seen, seem almost to exhale a sense of mystery. One cannot look at the huge moss-covered spoil heaps of such a sett or peer into its entrance tunnels without wondering how it came to exist, how long it has been there and what lies beneath the surface.” He concludes that even with all the knowledge we now have we still, for example, do not have any understanding at all of the cognitive skills badgers must have to be able to build such elaborate interconnecting structures through what he calls an opaque medium. He concludes “When it comes to biology, truth is almost always stranger than fiction, and so it is with badger setts. There is still plenty for the naturalist to wonder at and for the scientist to investigate.” This book is packed with comprehensive, first rate information, but from my point of view it is good to know that the badger still has more mysteries waiting to be unravelled. That is what helps to make them such amazing creatures. by Ian Tillbury.

Published by Collins Hardback £50 ISBN 978-0-00-732041-7 Paperback £30 ISBN 978-0-00-733977-8 Ed: This book is a worthy successor to Ernest Neal’s New Naturalist Monograph series book ‘The Badger’ published by Collins in 1948. In 1958 my Pelican copy cost 3/6, 17½p in new money.

‘The Badger’ by Michael Woods Michael Woods completed this second edition of his book ‘The Badger’ shortly before his untimely death. The 32 pages have been completely rewritten and contain a wealth of information about the Eurasian Badger. The many photographs and illustrations augment the description of many aspects of the badger’s life. This book is an excellent introduction for anyone who wants to learn about badgers.

Obtainable from: The Mammal Society at only £3.50 paperback plus £2.95 carriage. Phone 01278 641747 or order online www.mammal.org.uk Ed: This is a superb book for the beginner and great value for money.