We are very happy to have Mal in North Wales and a Member of Clwyd Badger Group. For more than three decades, Mal Ingham has dedicated his life to wildlife, conservation and the protection of some of Britain’s most misunderstood animals.
A former Head Ranger and Wildlife Officer, Mal worked in wildlife conservation for around 35 years, caring for and rehabilitating wildlife and gaining an enormous amount of practical experience in the field. Today, although retired from his professional ranger role, his work with wildlife is far from over. He continues to monitor and study wildlife in North Wales, sharing his knowledge through talks, writing, photography and an extraordinary collection of trail-camera footage.
A lifetime in the field
Mal’s experience has taken him well beyond simply observing wildlife. His career involved hands-on conservation work, including caring for and rehabilitating a wide range of species.
His particular passion has always been Britain’s wildlife, with badgers, otters and other mammals featuring prominently in his work. He continues to monitor wildlife around his home in North Wales, using camera traps to capture behaviour that would otherwise go unseen.
This patient approach has produced a remarkable record of wildlife behaviour. His footage has documented badgers, otters, polecats, birds and many other species, often revealing fascinating details about their lives and interactions.
Mal’s observations have also contributed to wider understanding of badgers. His footage and experiences have been used by wildlife researchers and publications to illustrate behaviours including badgers carrying food back to their setts and adults interacting with cubs.
Giving wildlife a voice
One of Mal’s greatest strengths is his ability to communicate what he has learned.
He regularly gives talks to wildlife groups and organisations, using his photographs and camera-trap films to bring the natural world to life. In 2026, he gave a talk to the Wrexham branch of North Wales Wildlife Trust about the creatures found in a wildlife garden. The Trust described him as a former ranger and wildlife officer with more than 30 years of experience, who continues to monitor wildlife through camera traps.
He has also shared his expertise with badger groups, including giving a presentation at the Clwyd Badger Group’s 40th anniversary event and speaking to the Shropshire Badger Group AGM.
For people who may never get the opportunity to observe a badger or other nocturnal animal in the wild, Mal’s footage provides a remarkable window into their world.
Wildlife crime and protecting badgers
Mal’s experience has also seen him become involved in wildlife crime cases, including providing expert knowledge concerning badgers and their setts.
His practical understanding of badger behaviour, sett structure and wildlife has proved particularly valuable when investigating suspected persecution.
An article in Wildlife Detective describes one case where Mal helped establish that a sett was actively being used by badgers after a terrier had been put underground. His assessment helped establish the importance of the site and provided expert evidence during the investigation.
His knowledge of wildlife crime has also been shared through his writing. In Natur Cymru, he wrote about the experiences and challenges of being an expert witness in wildlife crime cases.
This is an important part of conservation work that is often overlooked. Protecting wildlife is not simply about appreciating animals, it can also involve understanding legislation, collecting evidence, working with authorities and being prepared to speak up when wildlife is threatened.
A remarkable record of badger behaviour
Perhaps the best-known part of Mal’s current work is his close observation of badgers.
Through years of monitoring, he has built up an intimate knowledge of individual badgers and their behaviour. His camera traps allow him to observe animals without disturbing them, sometimes revealing behaviour that would be almost impossible to witness directly.
His observations have included badgers carrying food back to their setts, adults playing with cubs and the ways badgers respond to events within their territory.
During the severe flooding caused by Storm Dennis in 2020, Mal documented the impact on badger setts in North Wales. He warned that the extreme conditions could have a tremendous impact on wildlife, and his footage showed the difficult conditions faced by badgers as tunnels and parts of setts were affected by the rainfall.
His observations have subsequently been referenced in discussions about badger behaviour, including how badgers respond to the presence of dead members of their social group.
Sharing the stories of wildlife
Mal has also turned his experiences into books.
His book From Badgers to Nighthawks: Adventures of a Wildlife Ranger, published in 2019, brings together stories from his career working with wildlife. He followed this with The Tales of Old Billy Badger, sharing another collection of wildlife stories.
These books offer something particularly valuable: a combination of professional experience, personal observation and a genuine affection for wildlife.
Rather than simply presenting wildlife as something to be studied from a distance, Mal’s work shows the character and individuality of the animals he has spent so much of his life observing.
A familiar face within the conservation community
Mal’s contribution extends beyond his work with badgers.
He has volunteered with conservation projects including red squirrel work in Clocaenog Forest and has been involved in practical conservation work at Graig Wyllt Nature Reserve. North Wales Wildlife Trust records show Mal among the volunteers helping maintain paths and manage habitat at the reserve.
He has also campaigned on local wildlife and environmental issues. In one case concerning proposed housing development near Graigfechan, Mal raised concerns about traffic as well as the potential environmental impact on wildlife including otters, badgers and bats.
An inspiration to wildlife volunteers
For organisations such as Clwyd Badger Group, people like Mal are invaluable.
Wildlife conservation depends on volunteers, campaigners, researchers, photographers, rangers and members of the public who are willing to spend their time observing, recording and protecting the natural world.
Mal represents many of those qualities in one person. His career has given him decades of experience, but he has continued his work long after leaving professional ranger service. His camera traps, writing and talks continue to educate people and, perhaps most importantly, encourage them to look more closely at the wildlife around them.
His work reminds us that there is still so much to learn about the animals living alongside us.
For badgers in particular, that dedication matters. The more we understand about their behaviour, family groups, setts and habitats, the better equipped we are to protect them.
Mal Ingham’s contribution to wildlife conservation is therefore not simply measured by the animals he has helped during his career. It can also be seen in the knowledge he has shared, the people he has inspired and the countless hours spent quietly watching wildlife when most of us are asleep.
For more than 30 years, Mal has been watching, recording and standing up for wildlife.
And he is still doing it today.
Follow Mal on Twitter (X) – https://x.com/ingham_mal
