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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Senay Boztas in Amsterdam

Burrowing badgers halt train services in the Netherlands

Badger in long grass.
There is limited natural space for the Netherlands’ 7,000 badgers. Photograph: Nature Picture Library/Alamy

Leaves on the tracks, signal failures and strikes can all cause train delay headaches, but commuters in the Netherlands are facing railway havoc caused by badgers burrowing under the lines, with authorities struggling to tempt the protected animals out.

In the densely populated country, there is limited natural space for the country’s 7,000 badgers. They often dig out their homes, or setts, under relatively “quiet” train embankments, which are ideally situated away from people and also slightly raised, which prevents the sett from flooding.

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