Police and rescue
Call for help immediately if you come across an injured badger or find wildlife crime in progress. Do not attempt to tackle the situation alone. If you can do so safely keep a wounded badger warm and immobilised till help arrives. Do not risk transporting it as it may wake and bite. Badger cubs can be handled safely when little. Keep them warm but do not move them unless you are sure they have been abandoned. More information about orphaned cubs is available here.
Police
if you see badger baiting or wildlife crime currently taking place call 999
immediately, report as ongoing and ask them to attend. If you are able to, take pictures or a video of the event. Note any cars nearby along with their vehicle registration
number.
DO NOT! approach the persons involved, they are likely to be violent criminals
For non emergency enquiries call 101 and ask for the wildlife officer.
Thames Valley Police wildlife officers are listed
here
Always ask for a case number when you contact the police so it can be followed up.
Badger crime and suspicious events should also be passed to OBG and/or The Badger Trust Wildlife Crime team. The Badger Trust crime officer will follow up with the police if necessary.
RSPCA
The RSPCA cruelty line 0300 1234 999
or email info@rspca-oxfordshire.org.uk
Local wildlife Hospitals that provide a rescue service
There are three centres able to help and treat badgers . Only one of which is within Oxfordshire. In general we suggest contacting the nearest. In all cases, it is best to ring the centre first to check before setting off. Debbie will also be happy to advise which is likely to be best in a particular case.
Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital 24 hr emergency help line : 01844 292292
Aston Road, Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, HP17 8AF
Check out their emergency advice page.
The Vale Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre Call 01386 882288 *(7am to 5pm)
Outside these hours the emergency number for fox, badger and deer ONLY is 07961 413 574. Do not use this number for any other animal report.
Their address is: Station Road, Beckford Nr Tewkesbury Gloucestershire GL20 7AN
The Nutkin Ward,is a smaller operation run by Tess Merry who is an active OBG member.
61 Horton Drive, Middleton Cheney, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom (Facebook only)
OBG rescue & RTA contacts
Oxfordshire Badger Group volunteers can offer advice. We provide an emergency rescue call out service to get an injured badger to a treatment centre.
Report RTAs to OBG as soon as practicable – use “Report – Badger sighting” on OBG website or by e-mail to rtas.oxonbadgergroup@gmail.com
If you find a live, injured badger in need of rescue call Debbie on 07748 086915
Alternatively the OBG phone: 07926 219446 is manned on a rota. OBG@OxonbadgerGroup.org.uk is monitored during the day but we do not guarantee an immediate response.
Members of OBG WhatsApp groups should message for advice or assistance.
Natural England: culling and sett disturbance licences
Harming a badger or disturbing their setts is a criminal act unless a licence has been granted by Natural England. Unfortunately, NE do not disclose this information to the public. The activity is unlikely to be approved in the badger breeding season which runs from 1st December to 30th June unless in highly exceptional circumstances. NE will respond to official enquiries (from the police or council officers). If you call and ask them to confirm if a licence has been granted in a specified location our experience is that they will give members of the public a yes/no answer. NE are contactable enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk or call 0300 060 3900
Developers & active sett disturbance
Developers have been known to destroy setts 'by accident'. If a sett or part of a sett is bulldozed the badgers will likely be trapped and suffocate. Treat as an emergency and intervene if possible. There are also restrictions on what is euphemistically called 'a little gardening or tidying up the plot'. Works such as felling trees above an active sett, spraying of herbicide or using machinery close to the sett are all likely to need a licence and/or be done under the supervision of a qualified ecologist. It can also be helpful to contact your local council planning office to check the status of the development application.
Vets
We do not recommend taking an injured badger or badger cub to a local vet. The animal will need specialist care from a wildlife expert.