In August 2023, Jeff and Jessica were involved in a rescue of a badger. The following is an account of the rescue and eventual release of the badger (which a few lucky members of the WKBG, including myself, were able to witness):
The rescue of this badger was after a call to Folly by a member of the public. He was on a grass verge beside a very busy and fast road, probably having been clipped by a car. Jessica and I had been out on a kestrel release when the call came in. We were not really equipped for a badger rescue, having only a very small cage and a net with us. It was clear that if we could not get the badger he would certainly venture onto the road and probably not survive the experience. On that basis we decided to improvise and give it a go, even though the lady who reported it was convinced that we would never fit the rather large badger into such a small cage. This was far from an orthodox or even ideal rescue but with the net securely over him he was unceremoniously manoeuvred, with a fair bit of difficulty, into the cage.
Once back at Folly he was sedated and examined. For once, not having a crush cage was an advantage as he was squeezed in so tight that giving him an injection was easy.
After a few weeks of rest, recuperation and medication at Folly he was deemed to be fit enough to go back into the wild. A visit to the original rescue site identified a quiet road very close to where he was found and this was selected for the release. A trip back to Folly was made to collect him and then a successful release that evening ended a happy story.
Not a text book rescue but sometimes needs must and the end result was good.
Pictures of the release:
Video of the badger being released: