American Badger Rescue and Release
Watch the video to see this week’s Patient of the Week, an American badger, go from trapped and frightened to free and grateful. After receiving a call that a badger was tangled in the netting of a soccer goal, one of Tucson Wildlife Center’s rescue team members quickly arrived at the site. After safely sedating the badger, he carefully began freeing the animal from the net. Once completely free, the badger was transported to TWC for evaluation.
Soccer nets (and nets used in other sports such as tennis and volleyball) can pose several dangers to wildlife, especially nocturnal animals like our badger. Entanglement in the netting can lead to injury, stress, or even death if the animal cannot free itself. Struggling to escape from a net can cause physical injuries such as cuts, broken bones, or damage to wings and limbs. An entangled animal also becomes an easy target for predators. Luckily for our badger, she was discovered early in the morning and was suffering only from a constriction wound with swelling of a hind limb, minor dehydration, stress, and exhaustion since she most likely was caught in the net during her previous night’s foraging. Badgers mostly dig for grubs.
After a couple days of rest, treatment and observation, Tucson Wildlife Center’s release team transported the badger to a safe, resource-rich area in the vicinity where she was originally found. Upon exiting her crate, she headed for a treed area above the dry wash where she was released. The badger stopped once to look back toward her TWC caregivers, then proceeded up the bank where she quickly found a temporary den under the exposed roots of a large tree.
To reduce the risk of wildlife becoming entangled in soccer, tennis or volleyball nets, it is advisable to remove or fold and secure nets when not in use, especially at night and in areas frequented by wildlife. If the soccer field or sporting court is enclosed within a fence, ensuring the gate remains closed and repairing any holes or gaps in the fencing can make the area safer for wildlife. Place signs on the fence to inform people about the importance of keeping the gate closed to protect wildlife. This is also important for baseball batting cages enclosed by netting. If you would like to help patients like this American badger, click this link to donate:
Another way you can contribute is to visit our “wish list” on Amazon by clicking on the Amazon Wish List button below. We appreciate it, as will all the wild animals in our care!
Click on the picture below to watch a video.
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