I took this photo at the Milwaukee Zoo last March.  Usually, it’s hard to spot a badger even at the zoo, as they like to dig and burrow by nature and are not as active in the daytime.  However, the warming temperatures brought this one out to enjoy some sunshine.  In captivity, the average badger lifespan is Sweet 16, but not in the wild.  The oldest wild badger was but 14 years old.  These animals prefer a solitary lifestyle.  Typically, you won’t find more than 5 badgers in a square kilometer.  They are not party animals.  They are skilled diggers with powerful jaws.  They prey on rodents and other earth-dwellers and supplement their diet with corn and sunflower seeds.  They wisely store and cache food as well. 

Badger meat has been included in some cultures’ cuisine, such as French and North American; their fur was used in the past to make shaving and paint brushes because of its fine ability to retain water.  Its greatest predator is, in fact, humans.  They destroy their habitat and sometimes poison them to stop them from digging tunnels in pasture land.  However, in British Columbia, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin, hunting badgers is illegal.  I’m glad.