Mill Meadows Artificial Badger Sett

Challenge

Naturalisation

• As with any artificial sett the primary challenge is mimicking both the aesthetic and function of a natural sett.
• Naturalisation of the sett required the use of site won materials such as large stones and logs placed around the entrances and the creation of spoil heaps at the entrances that mimic the ‘sideways D’ shape normally created by badgers when digging.
• Lastly, hay was distributed in the nesting chambers and around the entrances and peanuts distributed around the sett to aid in attracting in badgers to the sett.

Approach

Keystone design

• The artificial sett was based on a tried and tested Keystone design adapted for the specific location. It comprised of six entrances, five large and four small nesting chambers, five dead end tunnels (tunnels that enable the badgers to continue excavating once they have taken up residence) and a total of thirty-six meters of tunnels.
• The nesting chambers were pre-constructed from 18mm marine ply, and the tops lined with roofing felt and all the twin wall pipe tunnels had the bottom twenty per-cent cut prior to mobilisation to site. This is done so that the badgers are running on soil rather than plastic.
• Once on site a ten by ten-meter pad was created as a base to work off and the first tunnels and chambers placed in location. Tunnels were angled up at the entrance for approximately the first meter before changing angle and either angling down or levelling off. Soil in the open base nest chambers was sculpted into a natural shape that allows for drainage.
• Most entrances were located pointing towards nearby scrub so that the badgers were easily able to access cover, and the pipework framed with site won wood and stone to create a natural aesthetic. Similarly, soil was sculpted around the entrances to mimic the shape of a sett entrance.
• The tunnels and chambers were secured in location and site won soil used to cover them, with additional tunnels and chambers added in layers to create a range of heights, mimicking a natural sett. Once the entire sett was built and soil layed over in layers, a final layer of soil was used to provide a minimum of one meter of cover over each chamber.
• Once the sett creation was completed, circa 90m of post and wire fencing was installed at thirty meters from the sett to provide a barrier to help limit any potential disturbance.

Outcome

Both the artificial badger sett and the post and wire fence was delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard.

Keystone ecologists have now deployed remote sensing cameras to monitor the sett for activity, and we look forward to a successful outcome in due course.