Written by Pauline Kidner
Charity Founder and Advisor
A few years ago, in February, we received an urgent call from a couple in Bristol. It was 1 a.m. on a freezing night. A distressed young man told me about a badger trapped in the river next to the S.S. Great Britain. “He’s making a terrible noise, crying for help,” he said. I felt helpless; we had no volunteers in Bristol at that hour, yet I couldn’t ignore the situation. I explained that I would come, but it would take nearly an hour to arrive. “Please do try,” the young man pleaded, so I gave him my mobile number and asked him to update me if anything changed.
I then called my son, Simon, who lives next door, to come with me. Despite getting dressed quickly, it took at least 15 minutes to de-ice the car and collect the cage and catching equipment.
Halfway there, the young man rang to say the badger had hauled itself onto a tyre between a barge and the harbour wall. They planned to stay and meet us, and by the time we arrived, it was nearly 2:30 a.m. Both were sitting near the badger with a blanket wrapped around them to keep warm.
Simon tried to net the badger, but with an 8-foot drop to the tyre, he missed, and the badger fell into the water. It swam past the barge and seemed headed for the middle of the river but turned and came alongside the barge. Exhausted and cold, the badger was making a lot of noise—something we hoped wouldn’t stop, as silence could have meant the worst.
Simon, ready with the grasper, leaned over as far as he could while the young man and I held onto his legs. Amazingly, he caught the badger, and together we pulled Simon and the badger onto the wall, quickly placing her in the cage. The couple were overjoyed, and we were relieved to get both the badger and ourselves into a warm car.
That night, she was placed in our badger pen under a heat lamp and soon fell asleep. The vet checked her the next day; her lungs were clear, and after a few days of hotel food, she was ready to go home—but where exactly?
After some research, we identified a few areas near the harbour that might be suitable. Since badgers are territorial, it’s crucial they return to their own group. Returning to Bristol at 3 a.m. to minimize disturbance, we found an area with several badger paths. Fingers crossed, we carried the cage there. The sow immediately roused, clawed at the cage, and when we opened it, she followed one of the paths straight home!
Sometimes our rescues seem impossible, but this one had a very happy ending.