An O MINHO reader recorded on video, on April 11th, what appeared to be a bear cub wandering along Rua Dr. José Pedreira, in Vila Nova de Cerveira, close to the border with Spain. However, it is a badger.
Guilherme Gomes, author of the images, questioned the possibility of there being bears in that location, something that would be illogical as there is no green corridor from Spain or enough dense bush in that area of Minho for wild animals like bears to inhabit.
According to a GNR source from Cerveira, contacted by O MINHO, no recent record of any wild animal roaming the streets of that locality reached the post, a situation that usually happens when it is an unusual animal.
Contacted about this, Guillermo Palomero, executive director of Fundación Oso Pardo, with whom O MINHO had already spoken about the possibility of starting to see more bears crossing the border, assured that, in this case, and unlike what happened in Trás- os-Montes, in 2019, “it is definitely not a bear”.
MINHO then contacted Francisco Álvares, a biologist with a PhD in Conservation Biology and researcher at CIBIO/InBIO, a recognized specialist in carnivorous mammals and a regular contributor to the wildlife magazine “Wilder“.
Francisco Álvares says he has seen the video before, and “despite the low quality and nighttime environment”, he doesn’t have many doubts about what animal it will be.
“(…) it appears to be almost certainly a badger (Meles meles), a carnivorous mammal that is native and has a widespread distribution in Portugal”, said that specialist.
Francisco Álvares highlights that “the badger is a strictly nocturnal animal, and therefore difficult to observe, and that it has a characteristic color pattern (with white and black bands on the head) but which are not noticeable in the video due to the reduced light. ”.
However, “it has a short tail, a ‘stocky’ appearance, and a characteristic ‘waddling’ gait – which are evident in the video – and, in fact, it may resemble a small bear, with footprints very similar to this animal”, he concludes. the biologist.
According to the interactive map of recent sightings of this species in Portugal, developed by the BioDiversity4All portal, there are recent records of badgers sighted in Caminha, Viana do Castelo, Ponte de Lima, Barcelos and Póvoa de Lanhoso, as well as in some border municipalities, but in other districts, such as Santo Tirso, Póvoa de Varzim or Amarante.
The badger is a species protected by law in Portugal, with hunting only being permitted, as well as weasels, weasels, martens, weasels, riders and wild cats, following a joint order between the Ministers of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the and Territorial Administration.
At European level, and according to a response from the European Parliament, “the badger (Meles meles) is listed in Annex III of the Berne Convention, which means that, in principle, it is a protected species. However, in accordance with the provisions of article 8.O of the Convention, derogations are permitted, in particular for reasons of public health or safety”.
Despite being a protected species, its status in the Red Book of Invertebrates, in relation to conservation, points to “least concern”.
