The Badger (Meles meles)

I received a very nice call from my youngest daughter the other day, she was very exited and wanted me to be the first person to know what she had found at the bottom of her garden...A Badger, just one sleeping under a bush, oblivious to everything around it and taking a snooze. I did not believe her at first as I know that the are very shy creatures and do not normally sleep in the open, nor do they sleep at the bottom of the garden...This was to be a bit different from the norm as this animal had obviously been ostracised from the family sett and was unsure of where to go or what to do and was being fed by the family in the big house on the other side of the wall, eating the cats food and things it had dug up on the lawns and flower beds....from what I could tell and I am no Expert, I could see that she was a little female and not very old...she had a few scares and sores probably putting up a fight as she was being forced out from the sett, she was OK to approach but when trying to get too close she would run into the next garden...after a few minutes she would return and lie down again under the bush...there are a few wooded areas and a reservoir that adjoin the house and this is most likely to be the place she came from, fear of being attacked stopping her from returning there. Badgers forage for food together as a group and a little female will need to be with others of her kind in order to get the guidance and knowledge to forage and hunt, more-so she needs the companionship of the family group along with the warmth and sanctuary of the sett....It is my belief that this little girl will not last long on her own as she is susceptible to getting run over or killed by dogs and as the cold weather sets in she will die of the cold...for now we can only keep an eye on her and hope that the family see sense and lets her return home, failing this we will have to ring the RSPCA to take her in...but for now it is in her best interest not to interfere too much in the hope of nature doing the right thing.

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