Watch badger being rescued in Lindfield

A poorly badger has been rescued by East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) after being found collapsed in the bottom of a ditch in Lindfield near Haywards Heath on Tuesday lunch time (September 13).

Rescuers Trevor Weeks and Brian Downing attended on site and rescued the badger using a dog grasper and blankets. “You have to be very careful when handling badgers as they can look unresponsive until you touch them and then suddenly come to life” explained Trevor, “the location was also awkward being about 3-4 feet below the ground surface and with steep sides to the ditch.”

Rescuers were able to get a cage close in the bottom of the ditch in case the badger became lively and used a dog grasper round the animal’s neck to secure control.

“Badgers are so strong and tough that it can be difficult to scruff them, but luckily this one didn’t put up any fight and we were able to lift him up into the cage with the help of the blanket and get him into a cage” added Trevor.

The badger was loaded into a veterinary ambulance and driven to East Sussex WRAS’s Casualty Centre at Whitesmith near Lewes where the charity’s vets examined the creature for injuries.

No injuries were found, but the female badger was weak, cold, and dehydrated. After initial treatment with warmed intravenous fluids and medication the badger has started to improve but is not out of the woods yet. Further tests are being carried out.

“It is a bit of a mystery as to what has happened and why. X-rays have been taken and don’t show any fractures or other problems, but our vets are keeping a close eye on her. This is one of the difficult issues we face when treating wildlife, as they can’t tell us what happened or where it hurts. Unlike pets, wildlife don’t have owners to take them to the vets or who can give the history of what has happened. This makes our job much harder as a result,” said Trevor.

The charity’s staff and volunteers are keeping their fingers crossed that the badger recovers.