THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE BADGER IN ESSEX 5
The badger has been particularly obstinate in sticking to its
old hunting grounds when surrounded by development in Ber
fleet and other parts of the Southend conurbation, where their
density is almost certainly the highest in Essex. In the steep
sloped, wooded and sandy hill sides between South Benfleet and
Thundersley is a line of setts. Over the last 10 years it has been
possible to see 10 or more badgers at several of these setts on
any one night, although the badgers travel quickly between the
setts and it is certainly some of the same badgers that have been
seen at the several different setts. It is better here to think of a
community of badgers using these setts rather than individual
badgers using and staying at individual setts. D. A. J, Hunford
reports that during the 1960's, building operations have further
enclosed them and that fighting amongst the badgers has become
a frequent occurrence in the last few years. This is most likely
to be due to territories being squeezed together, and possibly
that their natural feeding areas are being destroyed. The A.13
Trunk Road runs through these woods and several road deaths
are reported here each year. By way of contrast, further east
towards Hadleigh, one lady reported in 1969 that she daily
bought 5 loaves of bread and 2 pints of milk to feed 13 badgers
coming nightly into her garden and another lady reporting 23
coming for food in her garden in 1970!
Setts occur on a whole variety of man-made landscape fea-
tures : road side verges—two setts exist on the embankments of
the Southend Arterial Road which was completed in 1925, on
ancient fortifications such as Loughton Camp and Wallbury Dells,
on railway embankments, disused pits and quarries, an old sew-
age works and many in hedges and banks between fields. All
these features, although of human construction, are now reason-
ably well undisturbed and once a layer of vegetation grows up,
badgers are able to dig their setts without hindrance.
Many of the active setts in the County are regularly "stopped"
just before the meetings of the various fox hunts. This does not
seem to unduly worry the badgers, but if carried out persistently
and by any other means than with a few spadefulls of earth, it
may lead to the badgers moving from that particular sett.
No definite instances of badger digging have been found
since 1960, but several vague rumours of its occurrence in the
past have been reported. In Priory Park. Prittlewell, there is the
remains of a reputed baiting pit, but when it was last used is un-
certain.
Gassing of badgers has occurred in several localities, some-
times deliberately to remove an awkward sett on farmland, and
sometimes in connection with rabbit clearance operations.
Gamekeepers are becoming more tolerant of badgers
generally, with one or two certain exceptions. It is thought that
the absence of badgers from some areas such as between Epping,