It was a Valentine’s Day night to remember for a homeowner in Ryde when she returned home to find a badger in her bedroom! Charlotte Glazier initially feared that she had been burgled when she discovered that her property had been ransacked last night (Wednesday). But it soon became clear that all wasn’t quite as it seemed… As she followed the trail of destruction through the property and upstairs, she noted the bottom of a door had been scratched and chewed. Charlotte was perplexed as to why a fox would go to such lengths to break into a house… Neighbours rallied around to help and it was only on the third inspection that Charlotte caught a glimpse of a badger’s black and white fur in the bedroom – and the penny dropped. 
Quick thinking Charlotte shut the door and immediately sought help for the rather bizarre situation, noting that her bedroom was in total carnage. It’s thought that the animal entered the property after falling from a wall into an enclosed courtyard, chewing through the wooden back door in a bid to escape. Photos shared with Island Echo show how the female badger went on to search the cupboards, with significant damage caused both upstairs and downstairs which includes broken panes of glass. 
Badger Trust Isle of Wight was soon contacted about the emergency, with the organisation’s Graham Lee sent out to investigate further. He arrived to find the house in a total mess and the animal locked in the upstairs bedroom. Thankfully, the expert was able to capture the badger and bring an end to the standoff! Graham has said:
“Once I’d got her safely in the cage she was checked over and with the help of a neighbour she was carried downstairs and out to the pavement. “After a few minutes to make sure that she knew where she was, I opened the cage and she was off into the night”.
A thankful Charlotte has told Island Echo:
“Graham is a true hero coming out on a wet rainy night on Valentine’s evening. I don’t know what I would have done without him!”
