Are Badgers Dangerous? | Do Badgers Attack Humans Or Pets?
It is in the human instinct that he or she wants to know everything in its surroundings. The interaction with the animals is one of these things. Likewise, there are a lot of people who want to know about the aggressiveness of the badgers. Like, are badgers really dangerous? In this article, we are going to dissect all the facts about the aggressive nature of the badgers.
Contents
What are Badgers?
Badgers are usually found in the North American continent and belong to the weasel family having grayish black fur. They have a long white strips on their face. There are eleven species but the most common among them are the Europeans and the American badgers. American badgers have solitary nature but Europeans like to intermingle with others. They come with a long but sharp claw which is highly helpful in digging their dens.
Badgers bite
There are a whole lot of people who ask this question do badgers bite? Yes, everyone should keep in mind that badgers do bite and they bite very aggressively. In the case of humans, they bite very rarely and only bite when they feel threatened or cornered. The bites of the badgers are normally very dangerous due to their powerful claws and teeth. Once at a BBQ party in the USA, a man comes with the badgers and another man tried to pet the badger. Badger immediately act and chomped on the man’s hands. It was a very vicious bite and the man had to go to the hospital for stitches. Badger acted in its self-defense.
Badger’s teeth
Being carnivore animals, they have very strong meat-tearing teeth along with four canine teeth (two at the top and two at the bottom). American badgers normally prefer to eat gophers, squirrels, and mice. European badgers prefer small animals like birds and fruits like nuts, fruits, etc. Due to their large canine as well as strong teeth, they could easily compete with even larger animals. In most cases, they won and make them eat as their prey.
Badger’s Size
Badgers are not very much larger in size but being wild and vicious animals the size doesn’t matter in their case. So, you should not underestimate by just looking at their size. Male badgers are 30-inches in terms of length and carry 15 to 20 pounds while female badgers are a not little bit smaller in size and weight. They might not look tough and intimidating when you look at their size but you will find them very challenging when you encounter them.
How dangerous is a badger?
Indeed, badgers are wild creatures but they are not dangerous in the sense that you need to fear them at a distance. They normally attack in self-defense. However, there is no guarantee that they could not attack other wild animals or your pets at home as they have strong muscular bodies along with powerful teeth and claws.
Are Badgers vicious?
Yes, badgers are wild animals and that’s why they are also vicious. They have been highly harmful to pets or domestic animals. They could easily attack pets like dogs, cats, etc. Thus, it is better to keep your pets inside when there are chances of Badgers in the surroundings. They could easily attack rodents, squirrels, and foxes and eat them instantly. They are also gopher lovers and many other earth-dwelling animals like groundhogs, rabbits, and mice. They do most of their hunting or stalking activity at night time. By having an excellent sense of smell, they can easily detect their prey and attack them by quickly digging into their dens. They have been found quite vicious in their attacks as they have very sharp and powerful claws along with inner strength.
Do badgers attack humans?
Badgers don’t normally attack or kill a human-beings but they could act in self-defense. Badgers typically avoid contact with human beings. However, you always need to be cautious about badgers as they are wild animals, especially honey badgers because they are much more aggressive. Some incidents of badgers attacking humans have also been reported.
In the UK, a hand-raised badger named ‘Boris’ came out accidentally from vale Wildlife Rescue and attacked a lot of people on its way. He bit several men and also went after a woman who was walking with her dog. All of the attacked people were hospitalized. After this incident, the National Federation of Badger Groups highlighted the dangers of domesticating wild animals.
Besides, Badgers could also be helpful for humans because they prey on several harmful insects, snakes, and mice which could be dangerous for the health and livelihood of humans. They have also played a great role in keeping the pests away from our farms. However, we should avoid contacting them, especially entering their dens as they act very aggressively when feeling threatened by anyone.
I would say humans have been proved more harmful to the badgers than badgers to humans. Like, we have been hunting these animals for commercial as well as sports activities. We have destroyed their natural habitat in the name of infrastructural development.
Are Badgers skillful hunters?
One of the features which the badgers inherited from their forefathers is their digging capabilities. You cannot undermine this capability as they can do it very quickly and efficiently. As you know, they dig for eating rodents, squirrels, and gophers, but their food is not limited to these things. They are nocturnal and typically comes out at night time to attack their prey. It is not inevitable that they will only come out in the nighttime as they could also come out in the morning time and attack their prey.
They are very opportunistic and love to attack animal babies especially when their mothers are not around them.
How long do badgers survive in the wild?
Badgers normally exist for an average of ten years. Few badgers are found having more than 10 years of age. It also depends upon the region they are living in. They like to live alone in the wilderness and it is their powerful legs and digging skills which let them survive in the long term. Female badgers normally have a long-term lifespan and could also easily adjust in the grassland regions of the world.
Frequently asked questions
Summing up
In this article, we have tried out best to answer one of the most cliché questions (Are badgers dangerous?). Despite having sharp teeth and strong claws, badgers always try to avoid engaging with humans. They are no doubt wild animals, so humans should also avoid them as much as possible. We cannot make any correct predictions about wild animals as these could become wild at any kind of gesture or behavior by humans. Thus, whenever you come across a badger, try to read their body language and act accordingly as they tell a lot of things through their body language.
