Car Avoids Something In Road.

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gbnz
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by gbnz »

Richard D wrote: But it’s certainly not a new phenomenon.


Hmm....between 1981 and 2013/14 I never saw a dead badger on local roads.

Then suddenly, huge numbers of dead badgers started appearing on local roads, many with a round hole in their forehead. The timing was precisely linked to the authorisation of legal culling elsewhere. It's difficult to believe there's not a connection (Nb. Perhaps I should stress that I'm not that concerned about badgers et al; have to say I've never caught any, though moles have always been easy to trap)
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by Bmblbzzz »

I've heard it said that badgers are killed on the roads in disproportionately high numbers due to their fight response; that when they see a threat, they turn to face it and fight it off, which works with most other animals - but not with motor vehicles. However, every badger I've ever seen on the roads has run away from vehicles.

Bonefishblues wrote:
foxyrider wrote:
Mistik-ka wrote:The World Wildlife Fund estimates the number of badgers killed on the roads at 47,000 per year. :(
https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/wildlife-and-roads-47000-badgers-killed-each-year


If that were actually true the population in the UK would be about zero.

Why's that?

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-00378-3

I know someone who was involved in the 1990s survey. About 1994 or 95. Long time living in a mobile home in remote places!
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Paulatic
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by Paulatic »

gbnz wrote:.

It's obvious there were some "early" adapters among farmers, as I became accustomed to dead badgers appearing as a matter of routine in two particular areas (Nb. neither area would have supported a high badger population, the bleak moorland/pasture land being unsuited to high population numbers). Though perhaps the quiet roads were merely convenient for dumping carcasses.


How wrong I believe you are. Let me tell you my experience.
Back in the eighties I would only ever see a badger in a lambing field early morning on lowland farms. I never saw any evidence of them on hill farms.
Roll on to around the year 2000 and some guys told me they’d seen a badger out on my hill at around 900ft. I didn’t believe them as in my experience it wasn’t badger country. Too high too little of what I had previously considered badger country. By 2010 I’d seen plenty myself and discovered a number of badger setts out on the hill. Areas where previously I could have found foxes with young in the spring.
Loads of dead badgers to be found on the roadsides around here always in similar areas that is because , like deer, they have their routes and crossing points. I suspect their success in this area is due to large tracts of MMBS More Miles of Bloody Spruce where they’ve grown in numbers largely undistubed. Then because of increased numbers they’ve adapted to living out on quite barren hillsides.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
fastpedaller wrote:I've never seen a live badger - but probably seen 6 dead ones in all my years. :(

Seen several live ones, mostly when green lanning in daylight.
But seen many probably too many to count dead on road, probably more badgers than any other animal apart from birds.
I always think that they have been dumped there not hit by cars as I have never seen one run across the road despite much night time driving / riding anything. mostly rural.
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thirdcrank
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by thirdcrank »

Over the years, I've done a lot of riding during the night and I've seen loads of foxes but never noticed a badger. Are there variations in regional distribution? Although a pedal cycle is probably noisy by the standards of many animals, you can often get quite close on one without trying to do so.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
thirdcrank wrote:Over the years, I've done a lot of riding during the night and I've seen loads of foxes but never noticed a badger. Are there variations in regional distribution? Although a pedal cycle is probably noisy by the standards of many animals, you can often get quite close on one without trying to do so.

How true on getting close, I have noticed that I have seen many more wild animals including Deer and Birds of prey, Foxes, birds I don't recognise, and all manner of crawling things.
Foxes on open land are very common especially if you camp and cook.
On one of my overnighter rides I sat in a car park miles from nowhere in the dark, lights still on bike, a fox walked within feet of me like you pass someone in the street.
Seen many more deer early and late on and off road.
Birds are more numerous too as you appear quickly and silently unlike walking.
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meic
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by meic »

Badgers are common enough around here, dead and alive.
There was one dead on the road outside the house earlier this year and I know it wasnt dumped because I had seen the distinctive scrapings and droppings in the garden the past few days.
I started wearing cycling gloves about a decade ago because I figured it was only a matter of time before one of them would bring me off. It was a regular occurrence to have them jumping out or just following them down the road until the banks got low enough for them to leave.
I had not seen a live badger before I moved here though.

I am convinced that foxes can not see the light coming from my LED lights because they seem oblivious to my presence even though they are lit up like daytime. Then they hear me, look and bolt.
Or am I just so slow that they think I am a streetlight. :lol:
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rjb
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by rjb »

thirdcrank wrote:Over the years, I've done a lot of riding during the night and I've seen loads of foxes but never noticed a badger. Are there variations in regional distribution? Although a pedal cycle is probably noisy by the standards of many animals, you can often get quite close on one without trying to do so.


I ran over what I think was a badger on a dark night. Being dark coloured my lights didn't pick him out from the tarmac. I was on a downward slope, thought I saw something but looked again and saw nothing. When I hit him I was launched skywards. When I landed I managed to stay upright but it felt as if I had snapped both wrists with the take of jolt. I recovered my composure and went back expecting to find an injured animal but could only hear something large shuffling off through the thick undergrowth. :shock:
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Flinders
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by Flinders »

Some local wildlife trusts want you to report badger carcasses so they can go and see what killed them. Try contacting your local one.
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by Slowroad »

Good for you rescuing that mole. Sounds like a young one.
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by Cyril Haearn »

rjb wrote:
thirdcrank wrote:Over the years, I've done a lot of riding during the night and I've seen loads of foxes but never noticed a badger. Are there variations in regional distribution? Although a pedal cycle is probably noisy by the standards of many animals, you can often get quite close on one without trying to do so.


I ran over what I think was a badger on a dark night. Being dark coloured my lights didn't pick him out from the tarmac. I was on a downward slope, thought I saw something but looked again and saw nothing. When I hit him I was launched skywards. When I landed I managed to stay upright but it felt as if I had snapped both wrists with the take of jolt. I recovered my composure and went back expecting to find an injured animal but could only hear something large shuffling off through the thick undergrowth. :shock:

One should be careful, a half-dead badger could be dangerous
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wjhall
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by wjhall »

Badger carcasses on the road have always been common round here, where there are several badgers sets and plenty of evidence of them passing through gardens. Having seen a live one when nearly back home, driving a car, about midnight, I suspect road deaths are partly because they are slower than foxes, and tend to continue across the road as you approach, which this one did. It would probably have been run over had I not slowed down.
robing
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by robing »

I love moles. Such soft fur. I once rescued one from the roads many years ago and put him on the soil where he promptly burrowed down and disappeared! It must be difficult for them with the ground being so hard.
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by Cyril Haearn »

robing wrote:I love moles. Such soft fur. I once rescued one from the roads many years ago and put him on the soil where he promptly burrowed down and disappeared! It must be difficult for them with the ground being so hard.

Plus One
Moles have very powerful front claws
They are probably hibernating now, lucky things :wink:
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Re: Car Avoids Something In Road.

Post by Bmblbzzz »

Estivating?
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