Badgers are a common sight on the Prairies, but a recent federal evaluation indicates they are susceptible to the same risks that endanger populations in Ontario and British Columbia.
The American badger is the sole badger species found in North America. These sizeable mustelids, belonging to the weasel family, are categorized into three populations by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), which evaluates the endangered status of native species and offers recommendations to the federal government.
The expert committee labeled the “Kootenay, Prairies, and Rainy River” population, covering badgers in the Prairie provinces, parts of southeastern British Columbia, and northwestern Ontario, as “special concern” in December.
The other two populations, situated in southwestern Ontario and the B.C. Interior, are tagged as endangered, with COSEWIC estimating fewer than 250 adult badgers in each of those regions.
Chris Johnson, a member of the COSEWIC terrestrial mammals subcommittee and a University of Northern British Columbia professor, points out the challenge of estimating badger numbers due to their secretive behavior.
According to Johnson, “Most individuals have never encountered one in the wild, yet they confront numerous risks and threats to their survival in the country.”
The evaluation highlights habitat loss, vehicle collisions, and intentional killing by landowners as some of the perils badgers encounter across Canada.
Johnson emphasizes, “There are substantial threats to badgers that require management; otherwise, they could shift into more critical categories.”
The “special concern” status assigned by COSEWIC indicates the need for protective measures to avert the species from reaching a threatened or endangered state at the federal level.
Badger Fatalities Primarily Due to Vehicle Collisions
The Alberta government administers a Wildlife Watch Program that monitors roadkill discoveries in the province annually. Recent data shows 112 badger roadkill incidents in 2024.
Wildlife biologist and author Chris Fisher from Calgary, familiar with observing badgers along roads, remarks, “Encounters with badgers, both alive and deceased, are not uncommon, and any loss of adult badgers significantly impacts a population classified as special concern.”
Fisher explains that badgers are drawn to roadsides due to the ease of burrowing in