Anyone else ever seen a live badger?

[markemark]

We found an injured badger on the side of the road once. It seemed ok but was clearly hungry and cold. I said to my wife to pick it up an put it on her lap to warm it up. She said….what about the smell? I said we can put a peg on its nose.

I thank you.

 

[PhotoNic69]

Yes!!

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[slowmotion]

Riding round Richmond Park in the late evening after the motorists can't get in and most people have left is great fun. One evening as it was getting dark, I noticed a large lumbering figure coming steadily on a collision course towards me. I'm sure he would have seen my front light but he wasn't going to give way to a puny cyclist. He crossed my path about two feet away from my front wheel and lumbered on without deviating. Close-up, they are pretty substantial beasts.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

I've seen a live badger late at night on the Fallowfield Loop, so about 2 miles from Manchester City centre!

Out in the country where I am now, you regularly see dead ones at the road side. I've probably seen 4 this year!

 

[grldtnr]

Saw one about an hour ago on a walk with the dog in Belfairs Woods - it popped its nose out of the undergrowth after Milo passed by (he was about 20 meters ahead of me), checked both ways then calmly pottered across the path in front of me.

Your a near neighbour of mine, I sometimes pop into Belfairs wood, there is a bit of a badger 'problem' In Hadleigh 'Great Wood ' , which is an extension of the same wood.
But have seen one or two In the early hours coming home from the night shift along the Prittle brook ,alongside Fairfax drive.
Badgers don't see very well, mostly follow Scent trails which have been used for centuries, if there's a barrier they rather go through it than over or round it, they are very muscular strong animals, are only aggressive when cornered, with them sharp claws and powerful jaws they are destructive when necessary.

 

[captain nemo1701]

I was once on my way home at night on the Bristol railway path which had work on it some some sides were with Heras fencing. I spotted a badger about 50m ahead, it saw me, tried to run into the undergrowth but was stopped by the fence. It froze as I passed, so I can say I've been with about 5m of a live one. See quite a few foxes and occasionally, rats (once hit one, thought I'd killed it but couldn't find the thing!).

 

[Donger]

We used to have badgers visit our garden every night. My wife used to provide peanuts ....sometimes tiny peanut butter sandwiches for them! We would sit in the dark by the French doors with our cats at our feet, watching the badgers tucking in on the other side of the glass. The garden security floodlight didn't bother them a bit. In the springtime/early summer we had little baby badgers chasing each other around our lawn engaging in a bit of rough and tumble.

Once we started getting rats following them through the hole under our fence I had to take action and concrete up the hole - which was a great pity. I miss their visits but at least the lawn no longer looks like it has been visited by a squadron of JCBs in the night. We now hand feed the squirrels instead.

 

[wafter]

Once or twice... the most memorable was being drawn to the window by a loud, repetative hollow scraping sound from outside in the street at about three or four in the morning.

Transpires it was a badger that had found someone's food bin, and in its valiant attempts to snaffle it had got caught in a doom-loop of gripping the handle in its teeth, attempting to drag it away, being startled by the ensuing noise of it grating on the path so letting go and recoiling in surprise before pausing for reflection then having another go..

 

[albion]

All dead.

However, I have seen more a few hopping hares, fursty ferrets and master stoats fast moving on the table.

 

[wafter]

We used to have badgers visit our garden every night. My wife used to provide peanuts ....sometimes tiny peanut butter sandwiches for them! We would sit in the dark by the French doors with our cats at our feet, watching the badgers tucking in on the other side of the glass. The garden security floodlight didn't bother them a bit. In the springtime/early summer we had little baby badgers chasing each other around our lawn engaging in a bit of rough and tumble.

Once we started getting rats following them through the hole under our fence I had to take action and concrete up the hole - which was a great pity. I miss their visits but at least the lawn no longer looks like it has been visited by a squadron of JCBs in the night. We now hand feed the squirrels instead.

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That sounds fantastic; such a shame about the rats. Personally I don't view the squirrels as any better (assuming you're not lucky enough to live in an area that still has reds)..

 

[VinSumRox]

Had one run across a minor road just managing to make it between 6 cyclists!

 

[Toshiba Boy]

Living out in the sticks, we get all sorts in our back garden, although the deer, down from Exmoor, do stay in the fields the other side of our rear fence

Last time we had a badger, it was on it's hind legs trying to check out what we had left out on the bird table. It was a big fella, couldn't believe how big, when it was stretched right out on its back legs.

 

[Cavalol]

Luckily I've seen a couple live, albeit many years ago. Beautiful and fascinating creatures.

 

[lazybloke]

Knew I'd posted a good photo a few years back: linky.
Took that one at Wildlife Aid in Leatherhead; it had been nursed back to health and was ready to be released back into the wild.