On a crowded island like Britain, any wild mammal species, especially one of fairly large size, conflicts in some way with our interests.
The badger is no exception. Attitudes vary as to what action should be taken when these conflicts arise, but today it is increasingly realised that wildlife is a priceless asset which should be conserved, even if this entails slight economic loss or inconvenience.
The Church of St Eadburgha’s has been a Christian place of worship since the 12th century and continues to be a significant aspect of village life. The church is listed as Grade I by English Heritage.
Badgers had become a problem in the church cemetery and several graves had been affected. Human bones and coffin handles had been found above ground. Our initial survey concluded that this was an outlying sett consisting of nine holes with four active.
A licence was granted by Natural England to exclude the badgers and badger-proof the affected area of the cemetery.
WildlifeCo carried out the exclusion and reprofiling of the cemetery, and bones were respectively reinterred. The cemetery is now restored and protected against any future digging by bagders.
The badgers responsible for the damage to the cemetery have now returned to their original sett in nearby woodland.
