Badger Chases Family

A badger was reported as having chased a mother and daughter across a field. The incident occurred at High Hurst Wood near Uckfield, East Sussex and initially  the RSPCA were called but they refused to attend saying “we can’t rescue healthy animals”. The East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) was then contacted via members of a badger group and their rescuers were on site within half an hour.

Rescue Co-ordinator, Trevor Weeks, observed the badger eating fallen fruit beneath a tree for a while before climbing out of his ambulance.  As soon as he stepped on the gravel the badger ran across the grass towards him.  Trevor quietly moved over to the house and the badger did not follow.  “It is my experience that if an animal like a badger starts chasing humans or tries to enter a house then there is something wrong with it” Trevor explained.

Every time Trevor made a noise on the gravel driveway, the badger ran towards him but after just ten minutes Trevor managed to encourage the badger safely into a cage where he could be examined.  “Patience is a virtue, and an important skill in catching injured wildlife,” said Trevor, “once in the cage we were able to have a closer look at his condition.”

The badger appeared to have a small wound on his neck and also looked dehydrated so the rescuers decided to take the badger to a local veterinary centre for sedation and a better examination.  This revealed a hidden wound above the tail and that the young male badger was extremely dehydrated, underweight, malnourished and suffering from a worms burden. The wounds were cleaned and the badger given vital life saving rehydration fluids plus antibiotics.

Badger sedated prior to receiving treatment
                    (c) Maz Smith

The badger was then taken to Folly Wildlife Rescue near Crowborough for care and observation, where he is now being closely monitored.

“It is very unusual for a badger to chase a human.  Normally when you see this type of unusual behavior there will be something wrong with the animal.  This can sometimes be as a result of being hit by a car or as in this badger extremely ill and desperate for food. ” said Maz Smith of WRAS .

“The previous night the family had seen the badger and put food out for him.  Badgers have a very good sense of smell and would have remembered the house and smell of the family and associated that with food. Being so hungry and desperate for food the badger ran towards the lady and her daughter thinking he was going to get fed again.  We doubt that this badger would have injured them at all, but it certainly frightened them.

"Before being caught the badger made no attempt to attack me, but once caught in the cage the badger did become defensive towards us.  We knew there would be something wrong and I’m glad we checked out this report” said Trevor.

Information and advice on badgers can be obtained from local badger groups or from the National Federation of Badger Groups.

East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service