Snared Badger Release.

I released this snared badger sow last night on pasture near her home on the A170 near Lockton.


These descriptive pictures give a flavour of how badgers caught in snares react, they were taken by RSPCA Ins Geoff Edmond who went out to collect her. He took her to vet Mike Jones at Battleflatts Vets Stamford Bridge ,York. He cut off the snare and put her on a course of antibiotics.

This first photograph shows how a badger tries desperately to get away from the tight thin wire cutting into its flesh.
She had dug and scratched and tried her damnest to move away and get away from the wire fastening her to the fence. Badgers are strong and determined and she will have given it her all to no avail.

 Here is the pressure necrosis wound on her neck. The snare tightens and cuts off the blood supply to the skin directly below the wire. After 4 to 6 days this wound opens like a pusy zip where the skin has died . It is almost impossible to bathe these wounds without k.o.ing the paitent. So she was filled with antibiotic injected every other day. She was given a warm heat lamp plenty of food and water and peace and quiet.






Here she is hiding in a short barrel which is really useful when rehabbing badgers. She hides in the barrel head first and her fine ample backside sticks out at the back. It is then possible to inject the drugs needed. If you're quick and carefull the badger finds it difficult to swing round and bite from this position. This not for the beginner !
She faired well and was good and tolerated the rehab with good grace.
She boxed well and was released in the moonlight back to her home territory.

It is illegal to set a snare to catch a badger. It should be illegal to set a snare to catch a fox for they suffer just the same in this antiquated method of control.