Badger Sett

Kew is teeming with badgers; there are over 20 setts in the Gardens. Explore Kew's specially designed human-sized sett to find out how badgers live.

  • Close Thanks for liking this page. Tell us why by adding a comment at the bottom.
Badger Sett

Badger Sett

Did you know?

About this species

The badgers arrived at Kew from nearby Richmond Park and cannot easily travel further east because London is so built-up. Badgers are protected by law, so Kew staff leave them to their own devices, even if they dig up lawns or prized plants. They are difficult to spot because they are nocturnal creatures, so are rarely out during the Gardens’ opening hours.

In 2005 we conducted a survey of the setts in Kew and it is thought that there are 24 different setts - of these probably four main setts are in use at any one time as badgers use different ones at different times of year. And there are probably something like 24 badgers in total. The numbers are unlikely to have increased during the last five years.

Badger setts comprise a labyrinth of tunnels. They live in family or social groups and emerge at night to forage for earthworms. Because badgers are creatures of habit they follow regular paths as they travel from their setts through fields, meadows and woodlands to find food in the wild. They continue using favourite routes even when roads are cut through them, which is why the car is now their greatest threat.

Children’s activities

In 2003 Kew created a human-sized badger sett to demonstrate how badgers live. It is located in the southwest corner of the Gardens, close to the Wildlife Observation Centre. A giant forked oak branch leads visitors into the badgers' subterranean world, where food stores, sleeping chambers and nests are connected by tunnels. All the tunnels are at least one metre high; one is 1.5 metres high and accessible to wheelchair users.

Kids’ mission

  • Although badgers are nocturnal, so not often seen in the daytime, they often leave evidence of their night-time wanderings around Kew. Can you find any clues the badgers have left behind? Look for scratch marks on trees, black and white hairs left on fences, and narrow, well-trodden paths.

1 comment on 'Badger Sett'

Chloe Moore and Sophie Mcdermott says

31/05/2010 6:30:36 PM | Report abuse

It lookes really cool and i think it will be fun to icsperiance the life of a badger. I think it is a great place to go with lots of kids so that they can all icperiance the life of a badger.

Related Links

Related Tags

  1. english garden
  2. interesting
  3. active
  4. around the world
  5. adventurous
  6. successful
  7. irreplaceable
  8. for kids
  9. beautiful
  10. english heritage
  11. royal
  12. amazing
  13. inspiring
  14. landscapes
  15. exotic
  16. imaginative
  17. popular
  18. romantic
  19. discovered
  20. old
  21. ancient
  22. historical
  23. innovative
  24. creative
  25. rare
  26. high up
  27. wet
  28. fun
  29. hot

Your Kew

We invite photographers to capture the sights at Kew and Wakehurst. These images are a selection of images submitted by photographers from around the world. We hope you enjoy them. You can see more on Flickr.

Plant of the day

Use Widget

Use this widget in one of these sites.

Find Out About...

Calocybe gambosa - St George’s mushroom

St George's mushroom is one of the few good edible fungi to be found in spring, usually appearing in late April close to St George’s Day (23rd April), hence the popular name.

Find out more

What's On at Kew Gardens

Featured Events and Attractions:
South Africa Landscape

South Africa Landscape - Kew at the British Museum

Thu 29 April - Sun 10 October 2010

Kew and the British Museum have brought a small corner of South Africa to the heart of London. Our South Africa Landscape highlights the rich diversity of plant life from South Africa’s Cape region – an internationally renowned biodiversity hotspot.