Do Badgers Kill And Eat Fish?

[funkylad20]

Do badgers kill and eat fish from garden ponds? Large koi?

[Buenchico]

It's definitely not part of their regular diet:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2016/06/what-do-badgers-eat/

Disappearing Koi are more likely to have been stolen by a human, taken by a cat or enjoyed as a tasty meal by a stoat.

[tonyav]

Any Otters in your neck of the woods !

[Buenchico]

^^^ A good point, Tony!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-wiltshire-44957460/otter-caught-feasting-on-koi-carp-in-swindon

[vetuste_ennemi]

The culprits who ate our fish (in both our current and previous houses) were herons. Even with a net over the pond the heron can still kill the fish even if it can't get it out to eat.

[david small]

We have lost a pond full of fish and an extremely large weather loach to a Heron. Pond is now very netted.

[waterboatman]

Badgers do not eat fish. They are carnivores.

[DTCwordfan]

I thought fish was meat and therefore an animal that eats them, including these so called vegetarians who like to eat fish), are actually carnivores.

[DTCwordfan]

eating fish only is a 'pescatarian' or piscivore.....eating herons means a blood big fine from the RSPB, and eating badgers means a happy farmer. Eating hedgehogs means an unhappy Boaty but badgers think they are mobile Mars Bars....have eaten one in China and a little sharp.....no, not bad to eat, the meat quite peppery to the taste.

[waterboatman]

You're right there DT. To badgers hedgehogs are mobile snacks.

I had eleven hedgehogs in the back garden last night! I think they were having some kind of conference.

[aelmpvw]

11? perhaps they were discussing who was going to take the penalty?

[waterboatman]

I hadn't thought of that! :o}

[funkylad20]

Thanks for all of the answers everyone. We live in the middle of a town and we have badgers in the garden every single night.

We went away for a week last week, returned and discovered the carcass of our biggest koi at the top of the garden, the majority of it eaten (head, spine and fin remaining). Overnight, it disappeared so assume the badgers took and ate the rest of it.

We assumed that particular fish had jumped out of the pond (it did last year and I saw it so threw it back in and it recovered), or as you say a heron had got it out and dropped it (though strange as it was the biggest one, talking about a foot long koi here, would have thought a heron would try to take the others). We have seen herons try their luck a lot, but boulders and steep sides on the pond seem generally to deter them.

Anyway last night, we saw a badger actually standing in the waterfall, by the ponds edge, as if it was trying to get the fish out of the pond. I’m quite panicked because if it is that situation, the fish don’t stand a chance as these badgers are determined little things (still coming back even after one of our dogs had a big scrap with one a few weeks back).

We have a camera set up on the pond to try and catch them in the act but like everyone here, it seems badgers haven’t been recorded as trying to catch and eat fish - though the evidence here is suggesting otherwise.

Evolution?!?

[Old_Geezer]

Perhaps, if one decided to jump out, an opportunist took the decision to try it, and decided it liked it. Might be kind to leave a plate of chips by the side of the pond.

[Chipchopper]

It wouldn't surprise me at all about badgers eating fish, as they are omnivorous and are unlikely to miss out on an easy meal for free.

[douglas9401]

They will eat fish if it's served with a side of brockolli

[aelmpvw]

^ don't forget the glass of sauvignon blanc

[Chipchopper]

Good old 'brock' I almost missed that!

[woofgang]

Nobody has suggested fox?

[funkylad20]

No it is definitely not a Fox. We have one of those wildlife hunting cameras that trigger and we only ever get badgers in the garden, most nights. Surprising for a town centre, but they must live on allotments nearby.

[Paigntonian]

No