Aperçu de l'évolution des populations de blaireaux (Meles meles) en Wallonie au cours de la période 1982/1985

Since 1982 the gassing of fox earths (the main threat for the badger survival in Belgium) ceased but southern Belgium was also affected by a new outbreak of the rabies epizooty. In such circumstances it appeared interesting to renew the census of occupied badger dens we made previously. The situation we observed in 1985 is nearly the same as in 1981/82. In the middle of the "rabies zone" however badgers settled again in old dens uninhabited for many years because of gassing. This trend is nevertheless counterbalanced dy the disaooearance of badgers from other sites due to snaring, trapping, digging up or plugging the earth's mouths, to human disturbance (namely clear felling) or eventually to rabies itself. The authors finally emphasize the need for a strict enforcement of the new hunting legal dispositions and for the adoption of non detrimental to badgers and effective measures against rabies (f.e. oral vaccination of foxes).