GC3Z3HJ #1G NoCMoC – Visitor Centre - Badgers (Traditional Cache) in Eastern England, United Kingdom created by Kitty!!

This cache has been archived.

Kitty!!: After almost 10 years it is time for this series to go.

1020 different Geocachers have logged one or more finds of my caches in Hanningfield. As most Geocachers visit in pairs or as a family this probably represents 2 or 3 thousand Geocachers! A total of 4,945 finds were logged. Favourite points were not introduced until long after the trail was set and, as the trail was intended to be a family orientated starter trail and attracted non-premium cachers who could not award points. On this basis I am very proud to have received 291 points.

Thank you to the 683 finders of this cache and the 13 who awarded it a favourite point.

Thank you to The Warden, Bill, and his team at Hanningfield for accommodating my caches. It was a privilege to be able to place them on the Reserve.

GC3Z3HJ ▼

A cache by Kitty!! Message this owner

Hidden : 10/21/2012

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

Full details of the NoCMoC trail of caches, hints and a map can be found here. Please note that to access these Visitor Centre Caches you MUST go through either the Visitor Centre or Fishing Lodge at the bottom of Gifford Lane. See waypoints on GC41JAQ #1A wood Ants. Note the restricted opening times.

Badgers (Meles meles)
Badgers are about the size of a spaniel dog. A fully grown male (boar) can be up to 3ft long, including the tail and weighs up to 11 kilos. The male is slightly larger than the female (sow). A young badger is a cub. Apart from their distinctive face pattern, the hair of a badger is grey. Badgers are sometimes referred to as "Brock" which is a celtic word meaning "grey". A collective name suggested for a group of badgers is a cete, but badger colonies are often called clans. Badgers live in groups of up to 14 adults.

Badgers favourite foods are earthworms, insects, roots, fruits and berries. Badgers have poor eyesight, but acute hearing and sense of smell. They are nocturnal but occasionally may be seen during the day.

The badgers dig out and live in a maze of underground tunnels and chambers called a sett. They like to build their setts into sloping ground in woodlands, especially where the drainage is good and the soil is not too heavy to dig. The main sett is occupied all year round and is a permanent home. Around each main sett, there are others that are used sporadically throughout the year, often between January and March when the cubs are born. If you find a hole that you think may be part of a badger's home, look around for badger's footprints and in the piles of spoil for badger hairs. Check the shape of the hole; badger holes tend to be the shape of a capital 'D', with the flat side downwards, and are at least 20cms wide.

2 to 3 cubs are usually born around February, but emerge from the sett in April or May. Badgers can live for up to 14 years but the average lifespan for a wild badger is approx. 5 - 8 years. Road traffic kills a large number each year. Badgers are creatures of habit and cannot easily adapt to change. Where they are disturbed by development or people interfering with their setts, they may have problems in adapting, and may be forced to move on.

Bovine Tuberculosis
Some people believe that badgers pass on bovine tuberculosis to cattle and that culling badgers in worst affected areas would help control the disease. It is not however scientifically proven that this would help stop the spread. The Protection of Badgers Act (1992) makes it is an offence to kill, injure or take a badger, or to damage or interfere with a sett. Culling may only be undertaken if a licence is obtained from a statutory authority (Natural England).

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

O.B.G. (Jurer ryfr?!)

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)