After weeks of train disruptions and suspensions in the Friesland and North Brabant province of the Netherlands caused by badgers undermining rails and roadbed, the rail maintenance company ProRail has been given the green light to oust the badgers.
In Brabant, the badgers’ underground village or sett will get one-way doors on its openings, and badgers who leave will be captured and relocated. Eventually, the remaining badgers will be sedated, and the sett will be dug up to get them out and relocate them. ProRail hopes to resume service by the end of next week.
In Friesland, the process will take longer because the badgers are being given some time to relocate to a new artificial sett nearby. If the migration isn’t complete in reasonable time, a removal process similar to the Brabant plan will be carried out.
Nearly extinct in the 1980, badgers are a comeback story, with over 60,000 living in the Netherlands today.
