Ecologist Graeme Wilson, 55, is fighting to keep a badger he rescued as a "thin and dirty" cub, after Scotland's nature agency rejected his application for an educational licence to keep her.
Wilson, who runs GW Ecology, a rescue and rehabilitation service based at his home in Denholm in the Scottish Borders, was called out to save the cub after she was found starving in a cattle trough, about 100 metres (300 feet) from her sett. He nursed her back to full health and named her Harriet.
Rescue and rehabilitation
Wilson believes Harriet had previously been hand-reared and cannot be released back into the wild, as she would likely be harmed or killed. He says she is no longer nocturnal and loves frolicking in the garden while he gets on with his work.
Despite attempts to set her free, she keeps returning. Wilson said: "I tried to release her multiple times. On the second time she ran back and stood by the crate as if to say 'take me home'."
Application rejected
NatureScot, which works to protect Scotland's natural heritage, has rejected his application for an educational licence to keep Harriet. Wilson said the badger took to a bottle "very quickly", suggesting she must have been fed that way before.
He said: "I was very concerned about her. I had previously rescued another badger who was weaker than her and didn't make it. Even though it was so weak it fought me to take the bottle so I thought Harriet was very strange. I never engaged with her at all, I put food in, formula in the bottle, water, and just checked her from a distance to see if she was putting on weight. I never handled her and I didn't want to encourage her being around people."
Habituation and behaviour
Wilson has spoken with fellow ecologists and vets who believe Harriet had previously been hand-reared before being introduced to a sett. They suggest she has become habituated rather than domesticated, which is why she made a beeline for the nearest man-made structure she could find.
Harriet is not nocturnal, as this is a behaviour that would normally be learned from her parents. She is allowed to roam freely around the garden for exercise several times a day and follows Wilson wherever he goes.
He said: "She'll decide when she's had enough and stands by the workshop door where she lives. She'll get up to mischief as well, in a watering can or a bag if I've been doing some tidying up. She'll go rooting through the bag. Harriet will nibble at people's legs to take fleas of you because she has those natural behaviours of being in a clan, but she's just doing them around humans rather than around badgers."
Next steps
Wilson submitted his application for an educational licence at the start of June but received no response until the end of September. His aim was to take her to public events if she was comfortable, or produce videos on social media to promote badger conservation and raise awareness about discovering young animals in the wild.
Following the rejection, Wilson has been searching for a licensed zoo to take her in, though she would first need to undergo testing and vaccination, which would require considerable time. He said: "If people are looking at her from behind a barrier and she sees them as her people, she'll get very upset and stressed trying to get to them."
Wilson spent a month worried police would arrive at his door and remove her in a "heavy handed" manner. He praised Police Scotland for being "understanding" despite having their "hands tied with the law". He said: "You can't release an animal in captivity this weekend with all the fireworks. After this weekend if nothing changes, I have no choice but to release her. If she decides to stay around here that's okay as she's 'released' but I have grave concerns about her. I'm concerned she's going to end up in the road or approach a person and it wouldn't end well. This is not something I wanted. I did not want to have a badger or responsibility for a badger but unfortunately this is what has happened and my only concern is for Harriet's welfare now. I just want the right decision made for Harriet."
NatureScot said: "We are continuing discussions with Mr Wilson and other relevant organisations to try and find a pragmatic solution to this individual situation. The welfare of the badger is, of course, key while we consider the circumstances of the case."
The Scottish SPCA has cautioned the public against attempting to handle a sick or injured badger. A spokesman said: "Badgers can become aggressive if they are in pain or feel threatened; they can give a nasty bite and their sharp claws could cause serious injury, if you try to catch it. You should also contact us if you find a badger during daylight hours as they may be struggling."
A petition urging authorities to grant Wilson permission to keep the animal has garnered hundreds of signatures.
