Badger Baiting

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) investigates serious, organised and protracted animal-related crimes. Dedicated to ending animal exploitation and cruelty in Scotland, they work tirelessly to bring perpetrators of serious animal crimes to justice. Badger baiting is a brutal industry that pits innocent wildlife and domestic animals against each other in the name of “sport”.

What is badger baiting?

Badger baiting is a type of illegal, animal blood sport in which dogs are forced to fight badgers for entertainment. This industry has been around for centuries and remains prevalent in Scotland and around the UK.

Both animals are brutalised in this exchange, with the badgers usually killed, and the dogs left with serious, sometimes life-threatening injuries.

Badgers are inherently peaceful animals, oftentimes sharing a sett with other animals like foxes and hedgehogs; however, when provoked by aggressive, violently trained dogs they will defend themselves to the death. The peak time for badger baiting to occur is around their breeding period, when the females are pregnant or have just given birth to cubs. This is because the badgers are more defensive when they have a family to look after. This, along with their large size (they can weigh up to 15kg) and powerful claws, makes them a ‘worthy fighting opponent’ in the eyes of those who run these fighting rings.

As well as for entertainment, badger baiting is a display of a dog’s strength and durability, allowing their owners to show off and boast their animal. If their dog doesn’t perform well, or receives unrecoverable injuries, their owner will kill them, often disposing of them with the dead badger. The dog becomes useless to them when they don’t fight well.

What dogs are used for badger baiting?

Certain dog breeds are chosen for badger baiting based on their physical characteristics and personality traits. They’re trained to be aggressive and often know nothing other than violence, death and detachment.

Terriers are usually selected to seek out the badgers in their setts. They’re fitted with a tracking collar and trained to enter the sett to hold the badger in place whilst the perpetrator digs down to expose the badger. Larger dogs are then used to drag the badgers above ground and savagely fight them. These dogs, referred to as “drawing dogs”, are often types of Pitbulls or Bull Lurchers.

The brutality of badger baiting

The injuries that we come across as a result of badger baiting are the worst we see as a charity. The badgers are horrifically killed at the end of the fight, but the horrors don’t stop there for the dogs forced to partake in this vicious sport. These dogs are expected to continue fighting, with no time to recover, until they succumb to their injuries.

As mentioned before, badgers can grow big and are extremely strong, with sharp claws and a powerful bite. They can inflict real damage on the dogs attacking them. The Terriers that initially locate the badger and hold it in place often have serious facial trauma such as degloving injuries where their skin is ripped from the nose and jaw, exposing bone. We’ve also witnessed instances where dogs have been found without their noses or parts of their jaw after face-to-face combat with a badger.

The larger, fighting dogs also receive unimaginable injuries such as bite marks on their legs and face, puncture wounds on their bodies and mutilated muzzles. These horrific injuries are often left untreated as vets can easily associate them with badger baiting, risking the exposure of the cruel operation. Instead, these injuries are left to heal on their own, slowly and painfully, or treated with unsuitable materials like superglue and staple guns.

Alongside their unimaginable suffering, these dogs are often kept in awful conditions. Their home is usually a dark, filthy room, covered in faeces with no access to love, attention or mental stimulation.

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Legislation and protection

Badger baiting, amongst other animal blood sports, was outlawed in the UK in 1835, yet that proves as no deterrent to the serious animal criminals who run these rings.

The baiting of animals is forbidden under the Protection of Animals Act 1911, and the cruelty towards or killing of a badger is an offense under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. This includes interfering with a sett or taking possession of a badger for any use other than nursing an injured one back to health. If someone is convicted under this law, they may face a prison sentence of up to 6 months, alongside other punitive measures.

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 prohibits owners from inflicting abuse and unnecessary suffering onto their pets. Perpetrators may face fines, a community service order or a ban on keeping animals and up to 5 years in prison for this.

Despite some protection being in place, we’re calling for stricter punishments for badger baiters. The current legislation is not acceptable and does not deter criminals from exploiting and abusing these animals for fun. Both the badgers and the dogs deserve justice, and this can’t be fully achieved with the current laws in place.