A badger spotted sleeping halfway up a cliff by a local fossil hunter has been successfully rescued, thanks to the efforts of Badger Trust IW.
It was on Sunday morning that Glenn Martin alerted the Trust to the animal’s plight in the area of Whale Chine, off Military Road.
It was reported that the badger had been sleeping outside for the past couple of days and was effectively stuck due to a recent cliff fall. There was no easy way out for the badger so it needed rescuing.
After getting to the location and assessing the situation, Graham Lee of Badger Trust IW determined he was able to safely get to the wounded, shivering badger. In a flash, the feisty animal – which had an open wound to its back – was picked up and placed into a cage.
Glenn assisted Graham in carrying the cage and badger – a combined weight of around 20kg – back along the beach, all whilst Glenn was carrying a very heavy fossil that he had discovered that morning.
Paul Creer from the IW Badger Action Group was then called in to assist in getting the animal back up the Chine to the car park – an incredibly hard mission due to the sheer steepness of Whale Chine and the slippery conditions. After around 20 minutes, the badger was successfully hauled to the top.
Cold from being exposed to the elements, the badger curled up next to a hot water bottle and went to sleep whilst being transported to the vets in Carisbrooke.
Graham has said of the rescue:
“This was an extremely difficult rescue due to where the badger was located, plus getting rescue equipment down Whale Chine itself, walking almost a mile along the beach with the equipment, and getting the badger back along the beach and up through the Chine.
“This was probably the hardest badger rescue that we have ever done over the past 16 years”.
Whilst on the way to Newport, the RSPCA at Godshill alerted Graham to a badger that had been stuck halfway up a cliff for several days after a recent cliff fall. As he was about to say he had successfully rescued the animal, the RSPCA said the badger was located in Bembridge!
Sadly, the second badger was in a very bad way. He was also successfully rescued and taken to the vets in Carisbrooke.
Graham says:
“I know that Carisbrooke Vets will do all they can, but I also know that wildlife rescue isn’t always about having a happy ending, it can be just to stop the poor animal from suffering any longer.
“If members of the public find any badgers outside in daylight in this cold and wet weather please get in contact with us – do not try to pick up the badger yourself”.
You can contact Badger Trust IW and find out more by visiting https://www.badgertrust-isleofwight.co.uk/.
Well done to all involved with both rescues.
Thank goodness there are good people about.
Animals are better than people.
Well done to those who rescued this poor
badger.
What a strange and sad thing to say. Even someone with your lack of sapience should know that animals cannot be ‘better’or worse than humans simply because they have no moral awareness to act on or ignore.
YJY IOW I’LL SECOND THAT
Not such a good day for Hedgehogs though…
Well done Graham!