Get Involved: Supporting Badger Conservation in East Yorkshire
If you’re passionate about local wildlife and want to contribute to conservation efforts in our region, consider joining the East Yorkshire Badger Protection Group (EYBPG) this January.
Operating since 1987, EYBPG is an entirely volunteer-run organisation covering a vast area of our region—from Filey to Spurn Point, and from Malton (east of York) to Goole, including the Selby District. Their core mission is straightforward but vital: to locate, survey, record, and monitor badger setts across East Yorkshire, protecting both badgers (Meles meles) and their habitats.
Badger sett interference remains a significant threat, whether through deliberate criminal activity or simple lack of awareness among landowners and developers. EYBPG works to prevent both, providing advice and guidance to the public, delivering educational talks, and offering practical assistance including site visits when concerns arise.
The group collaborates closely with North Yorkshire and Humberside wildlife officers, Rural Crime Task Forces, and the RSPCA to uphold legislation protecting badgers under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Membership is open to anyone with an interest in badger protection—no prior experience necessary. The level of involvement is entirely flexible: some members conduct regular sett monitoring, while others simply keep “eyes on setts” during their usual countryside walks. Even if you’re unable to participate actively, membership fees and donations provide crucial funding for camera equipment, rescue operations, and ongoing protection work.
EYBPG also supports The Badger Crowd (www.thebadgercrowd.org), which challenges government badger culling policies through legal action and provides reliable, science-based information on badger ecology and conservation.
Ready to join? Visit the East Yorkshire Badger Protection Group to sign up this January and help protect one of our region’s most iconic mammals.