Is the hog badger a national protected animal?

The hog badger, also known as the sand badger or mountain badger, is a mammal commonly found in broadleaf forests, mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests, shrub grasslands, plains and hills in high, medium and low mountain areas. So is the hog badger a national protected animal?

1. Is the hog badger a national protected animal?

The hog badger is a national third-class protected animal, and it is not allowed to be caught or sold at will. Anyone who violates hunting regulations by hunting in no-hunting zones, during no-hunting periods, or using prohibited tools or methods, thereby destroying wildlife resources, and where the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, controlled release, or a fine.

2. What kinds of badgers are there?

1. Dog badger: The dog badger is also known as the badger, badger eight dog, etc., and is mainly distributed in Northeast China, Northwest China, South China, Central and South China and other places. It has a flat head, pointed nose, short ears, a short and thick neck, a relatively short tail, and short but sturdy limbs. Its claws are strong and suitable for digging soil, and it often lives in burrows. The hair on its back is hard and dense, white at the base, with a section near the end that is dark brown, and white tips. There is more white hair on the sides of its body. The lower jaw, throat, abdomen and limbs are all brown-black. It mostly inhabits bushes in jungles, barren mountains, streams and lakes, and hillside areas. It likes to live in groups and is good at digging burrows. Its diet is very omnivorous.

2. Honey badger: The honey badger has a body length of 60-77 cm, and its shoulder height is generally 25-30 cm. Its back is gray. Its fur is loose and very rough, and it is not afraid of bee stings or snake bites. It lives in shallow burrows in various types of terrain——rainforests, open grasslands, and even near water. It is active at dusk and at night, often coming out alone or in pairs. During the day it rests in underground burrows. It is omnivorous and eats all kinds of food, including small mammals, birds, reptiles, ants, carrion, wild fruits, berries, nuts, and so on. It even eats venomous snakes such as cobras and mambas, but what it likes most is honey.

3. Pig badger: The pig badger is similar in size to the dog badger, with the whole body light brown or black-brown, the throat and tail white, and a white longitudinal stripe from the tip of the nose to the back of the neck. It inhabits areas from plains to mountain regions at altitudes of more than 3000 m. Its living habits are similar to those of the dog badger, living in caves and residing in rock caves or dug burrows. It is fierce in nature, and its call resembles that of a pig. Its eyesight is poor, but its sense of smell is well developed. It is nocturnal and omnivorous, especially fond of animal food, including earthworms, frogs, lizards, loaches, rice-field eels, mole crickets, longhorn beetles and rodents, etc. It also eats plant food, and sometimes steals and eats crops such as corn, wheat, sweet potatoes and peanuts.

4. Wolverine: The wolverine is also known as the bear, flying bear, bear marten, etc., probably because it has both the cruelty of a wolf and the body shape of a badger, hence the name. In fact, the wolverine belongs to the weasel family, is mainly brown, and from a distance looks very much like a small brown bear. It is greedy by nature, and its food is very varied. It likes to eat the carcasses of large beasts or steal hunters' prey, including the females and young of large herbivores such as reindeer and red deer. It also catches foxes, wild cats, roe deer, otters, ptarmigans, hazel grouse, rodents, etc., and also eats mushrooms, pine nuts or various berries, especially loving honey.

5. Ferret badger: The ferret badger is also known as the meizi, mountain badger, white meizi, etc. It has a short and thick neck, short round and upright ear shells, and small eyes. Its coat color varies greatly, with the back ranging from light grayish brown or yellowish grayish brown, dark purplish gray to brownish brown, and the abdomen ranging from pale white, yellowish white, cinnamon to apricot yellow. It is nocturnal, burrowing, relatively slow-moving, and omnivorous. Its seasonal activity changes are relatively obvious. It reproduces once a year, with 2-4 young per litter. It inhabits forests, shrublands and grasslands in river valleys, ravines, hills and mountainous areas, and is distributed in China, India, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Vietnam.