Badgers designated as ‘special concern’ species in Prairie provinces

Badgers are common on the Prairies, but a recent federal assessment suggests they’re vulnerable to the same threats facing the endangered populations in Ontario and British Columbia.

The American badger is the only badger species found on this continent. These large mustelids — members of the weasel family — are divided into three populations by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), which assesses the at-risk status of native species and provides recommendations to the federal government.

The advisory panel designated the “Kootenay, Prairies and Rainy River" population — which encompasses badgers across the Prairie provinces, as well as parts of southeastern British Columbia and northwestern Ontario — as “special concern” in December.

The other two populations, located in southwestern Ontario and the B.C. Interior, are designated as endangered, with COSEWIC estimating there are fewer than 250 adult badgers in both of those regions.

Chris Johnson, a University of Northern British Columbia professor who sits on the COSEWIC terrestrial mammals subcommittee, says it’s hard to estimate badger numbers due to their reclusive nature.

“Most people have never seen one in the wild, but nonetheless they continue to face a number of risks to and threats to their persistence in the country,” he said.

The assessment points to habitat loss, vehicle collisions and the killing of badgers by landowners as among the threats facing the species across Canada.

“We do know that there are real threats for badgers and that they need to be managed,” Johnson said. “Otherwise, there's a risk of them trending into one of those other categories.”

COSEWIC’s “special concern” designation means care is needed to prevent a species from becoming threatened or endangered at the federal level.

The government of Alberta operates a Wildlife Watch Program that tracks roadkill carcasses found in the province each year. According to the most up-to-date numbers, 112 badger roadkill carcasses were found in 2024.

Seeing badgers along the road — alive and dead — is nothing new for Calgary wildlife biologist and author Chris Fisher.

“We do see them hit on roads a fair bit, and of course any loss of adults is a big blow to a population that is considered special concern,” he said.

Fisher said badgers are attracted to roadsides because it’s easier for them to dig burrows in sloped ditches. 

Ditches also attract Richardson’s ground squirrels — colloquially known as gophers — which are a key prey for badgers.