The density and distribution of badger setts in the Sudety Mountains, Poland

Abstract

2003. The density and distribution of badger setts in the Sudety Mountains, Poland. Acta Theriologica 48: 515-525.The density and distribution of badger Meles meles (Linnaeus, 1758) setts was estimated by questionnaires and field studies, carried out in the Sudety Mountains between 1995-2002. The questionnaire referred to the whole territory of Polish Sudety Mts, while field studies were conducted in four different habitat types: low mountains with a mosaic farm-forest landscape, highly industrialised hilly areas, high mountain ranges of natural character and high mountain ranges of severe microclimate and heavily destroyed tree stands. On the basis of both questionnaires and field surveys, a total of 378 badger setts, classified according to their size and status, were identified. Among these, 119 (31.5%) were situated on three areas, while in the fourth area we did not find any badger setts. According to their size and traces of intensive occupation, 54 setts were regarded as main badger setts. The mean density of main setts on three areas was much the same and amounted to 0.05-0.07/km 2 of their total surface, despite differences in their natural environment and agricultural or industrial changes in landscapes. In the Sudety Mts badgers selected settlements in forest habitats, bordering rich in food open areas. The density of main setts in forest areas ranged from 0.12 to 0.33/km 2 depending on the proportion of forest, type and age of tree stands and size of forest complexes. The mean distance of main setts from open areas ranged from 209 to 280 m. The mean nearest neighbour distance (NND) between main setts ranged from 2.85 to 3.75 km. The home range size estimated for a social group varied from 7.9 to 13.6 km 2 . The highest occupied setts of our study were found on the OEnie¿nik Massif, at an altitude of 700 m a.s.l.

Dynamic interactions among badgers: implications for sociality and disease transmission

“…Social group size varies from between two individuals in Poland (Goszczynski 1999) to 25 individuals in Britain (Rogers, Cheeseman & Mallinson 1997), while group territories range from 0·14 km 2 in Britain (Cheeseman et al . 1981) up to 14 km 2 in Poland (Bartmanska & Nadolska 2003) and Finland (Kauhala et al . 2006).…”

Ecological factors influencing the selection of sett location by the Asian badger Meles leucurus

“…Tree number of setts was higher in the deciduous forest compared with the coniferous forest, mixed forest and non‐forest. Earthworms and fruits are important food items for badgers (Zabala et al 2002, Bartmańska and Nadolska 2003). In this study, we observed greater abundances of food resources, such as earthworms and fruits, in the deciduous forest.…”

Determinants of badger Meles meles sett location in Białowieża Primeval Forest, northeastern Poland

“…Distances between badger setts observed in diverse environments differ significantly from 0.3 to 0.5 km in England (Kruuk & Parish 1982, Clements, et al 1988) and from 3.75 to 4.1 km in Poland (Bartmańska & Nadolska 2003, Kowalczyk et al 2003). They depend on a number of factors, mostly abundance of food supply, climate, size of family groups and predator pressure (Kruuk & Parish 1982, Kowalczyk et al 2003, Sidorovich et al 2011).…”