A recent federal assessment reveals that American badgers in the Prairie regions face similar threats to the endangered populations in Ontario and British Columbia. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has classified the badgers into three populations, with the “Kootenay, Prairies, and Rainy River” grouping marked as “special concern.” This population covers badgers in the Prairie provinces, parts of southeastern British Columbia, and northwestern Ontario. Conversely, the southwestern Ontario and B.C. Interior populations are deemed endangered, with estimates of fewer than 250 adult badgers in each region.
Chris Johnson, a COSEWIC terrestrial mammals subcommittee member from the University of Northern British Columbia, highlights the challenges in estimating badger numbers due to their elusive behavior. Johnson emphasizes the various threats facing badgers in Canada, including habitat loss, vehicle collisions, and intentional killings by landowners.
The government of Alberta’s Wildlife Watch Program reports 112 badger roadkill carcasses in 2024, underscoring the common occurrence of vehicle collisions as a cause of badger fatalities. Calgary wildlife biologist Chris Fisher notes that badgers are frequently found near roads due to their preference for digging burrows in sloped ditches, which also attract their main prey, Richardson’s ground squirrels.
Habitat loss is a significant concern for the endangered badger populations in southwestern Ontario and the B.C. Interior, as urban sprawl encroaches on their territories. This loss of habitat in Canada’s grasslands, a critically endangered ecosystem, poses a threat to various species, including the American badger, which plays a vital role as an “ecosystem engineer.”
University of Alberta biological sciences professor Colleen Cassady St. Clair emphasizes the importance of badgers in the ecosystem, highlighting their role in supporting numerous other species through their burrowing activities. However, she notes that badgers have historically faced persecution from humans due to perceived threats to livestock and property damage.
While badgers are not currently at risk of extinction in Alberta, they are classified as sensitive species and may require special protection to prevent their decline. In Alberta, badgers are considered furbearers and can be legally hunted and trapped, with landowners also permitted to remove them from their property.
To mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, wildlife consultant Chris Fisher advocates for measures such as maintaining a safe distance from active badger dens during construction activities to protect these sensitive species and their habitats.
