Dusk is getting earlier and in the wake of the wind, the badgers know there will be rich pickings in the wood. But people increasingly intrude into the tranquility of rural life. Badgers are shy, nervous creatures. Just imagine emerging from your home into a battleground. At least badgers have somewhere to hide. Their bunker is a safe retreat from a noisy, modern world. They will spend more time down here as the winter months draw in. In freezing weather, those all-important worms are, once again, difficult to find. But they have fed well over the last few months and are now at their maximum weight. Badgers don’t hibernate, but while large males may continue to forage, the females become increasingly sleepy, surviving on their stored fat. The turn of the year is an important time for badgers. While people celebrate the start of Christmas, most badgers are fast asleep. Yet this is possibly the most remarkable time of their year. The embryos that each female carries have been in suspended animation for months. Conceived at different times, each may have a different father. But only now do they all begin to develop. Around seven weeks later, all the cubs are born at the same time. Is this the real secret of the badger’s success? Genetically varied, yet born together, they stand a better chance of survival.
