Endangered Species Day - Celebrating our Local Digging Expert

Out of all the species in the Okanagan, one of the most endangered ones is the American Badger. These guys are so special though and have so many cool features. Everything about the American badger is built for the dirt and digging.

Here are some features that make them digging experts:

• Eyes - Like some mammal, like cats and dogs, badgers have a thin "third" eyelid called a nictitating membrane that helps prevent dirt from irritating their eyes. This membrane is translucent so that badgers can still see where they're digging without harming their eyes

  
  

• Legs and feet: Partially webbed feet makes digging easy with forefeet bigger than their back legs. These forelimbs are not just longer but also more muscular. These big bones, and strong arm and chest muscles, make digging a piece of cake.

  
  

• Claws: Their claws are not used as weapons to catch their prey, but for slicing through the dirt. Their claws can reach 1.5 inches in length and will continue to grow through their lives. But because of how often they are digging, they are never worries about their nails growing too long.

  
  

American badgers will dig burrows to find food, for an overnight shelter, or for a place to raise their kits. Unfortunately, badgers in BC are losing good spots for digging burrows, which is one of the reasons they are considered critically endangered in BC. To help them out, provide safe, natural spaces on your property for badgers to live and dig to their hearts content. Be careful for them while driving since they might try to cross busy roads to access water and open grasslands. Also avoid using rodenticides, you don't want to poison badgers through secondary poisoning.