Badger family burrows into new home at Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park

A family of badgers has burrowed into their new home of Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park.

A mother badger and her two cubs are nesting along the trails, moving their den regularly to follow the tasty ground squirrelsthey like to eat.

"Chances are, if you come outand are hiking our park kind of early dusk into dawn, you might be able to see all three of them," park program coordinator Nathan Foy told the Calgary Eyeopener Wednesday.

'Very active' badgers

American badgers are native to Alberta and have distinctive black-and-white facial markings with a line down the bridge of their noses.

They prefer grasslands, especially ones near mountains that are full of small rodents.

In nearby British Columbia, the species is considered at risk by the Canadian government. In southern Alberta, badgers have a healthier population but are rarely seen. They're mostly nocturnal.

These ones, though, are different.

"They're highly visible and they're very active," Foy said. "I've seen them."

'Pretty fierce' critters

No one's managed to snag a photo yet because they move quickly and shuffle dens often. The park has a "surplus population of ground squirrels" that's keeping them busy and well fed.

Members of the public are encouraged to check them out, Foy said. He just asks people to keep their dogs on a leash because badgers dig large holes for hunting underground a temptation for dogs.

"They can see this very large hole and start digging underneath it," he said. "And then all of a sudden, they have five-centimetre long claws in their face."

The small predator is territorial and, he said, "definitely pretty fierce."

Thefemales can grow to about 8.6 kg, whereas males grow to roughly 7.3 kg.

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With files from Lisa Robinson and theCalgary Eyeopener.