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How to Help Badger casualties
Road Traffic Accident (RTA) victims
Most of the injured badgers found are
RTA's.
Many are killed outright but many are injured and can recover if
treated promptly.
Next time you see a badger lying motionless in the road, please
stop and check it.
If it is alive, you may be able to help save it or at least
minimise its suffering.
Carry a Rescue Kit
An old blanket or coat
Large plastic sheet
Stout stick or half a broom stick; hammer handle
Torch or multi-purpose lantern
Rubber gardening gloves (to wear while moving a dead badger)
If you see a badger but are unable to
stop
- Try and judge the animal's status (or get a passenger to look, if
possible)
- Make a note of the animal's position (distance to next junction
on mileometer)
- Call for help as soon as possible
If you find a badger on the road
Park sensibly near the badger to
protect it from other vehicles without
endangering yourself or other road users.
Put your hazard warning lights on; you mustn't endanger yourself or
others.
A flashing emergency light placed between the badger and oncoming
traffic will be a help
Examine the Badger
Is it dead or alive? This is not always
obvious.
Using your stick, gently but firmly stroke the back of the badger's
neck.
Keep your fingers well away - it may twist around suddenly and bite the
stick.
Is there any reaction?
If it strikes out and bites the stick
be very careful; cover it with a blanket top keep it dark and quiet.
If not, watch for movement in the chest
and abdomen, indicating that
the badger is breathing.
If unconscious, each breath may be long, slow and shallow, so you
need to be observant and patient.
Hold your stick by the badger's jaws and put one hand on the chest to
see if you can detect movement.
If not, move your hand to the abdomen and see if you can detect a rise
and fall.
If the Badger is still alive
Call for help
Ring your local Badger Group contact
or the Police on 999 if the badger is a possible hazard
Badger Contacts
Be
careful.
Badgers have sharp
teeth and powerful jaws to defend themselves.
Protect the animal from further injury by staying with it until help
arrives.
If possible, put a flashing warning
light in the road between the badger and
oncoming traffic.
Unconscious
Move
the badger by taking hold of the
loose skin at the neck and the
rump.
Move to the verge or place on a blanket, coat or plastic sheet and lift
this, rather than directly handling the badger.
Or you can roll the animal onto the cloth and drag this to the verge.
Cover with the blanket or coat to retain warmth until rescuers come.
Never try to lift a badger by
the tail alone.
Conscious
Leave it where it is if possible and
wait for rescuers with equipment.
Cover with the blanket or coat to keep it warm.
If no-one can collect it and you have a suitable sturdy container,
manoeuvre the badger into it, using a broom, grasper or blanket.
Contact the nearest Rescue Centre and immediately take the badger there
for assessment and treatment.
No help available?
If you have to move the badger yourself, try and get a sturdy sack or a
plastic bin with a lid, to contain the animal.
Tie up the neck or the sack securely or wedge the bin securely so that
the badger can't get out into the car.
If there is no other possibility, bundle the badger in the blanket or
coat
If the Badger is dead
Put your gardening gloves on if
necessary and move the badger by taking hold of the
loose skin at the neck and the
rump.
Put the body well away from the road to beside a hedge
or under shrubs if possible.
Notify the local Badger Group; they may want to examine the body,
especially early in the year, in case it is a lactating female.
Trapped Badgers
Badgers can get trapped in a variety
of
places:
Drains
Swimming pools
Manholes
Buildings and sheds
Excavations
Netting
Help them escape
Observe the badger from a distance if
possible.
If it is moving easily and seems healthy, try and
provide an escape route:
A sturdy plank or ladder placed against
a side wall will help them get
out of a drained swimming pool or excavation.
Opening doors and windows at dusk will
provide an exit route from
buildings or sheds.
Take for Treatment
If it is limping, moving awkwardly or
not moving at all, it will need to be examined.
Adult badgers are very heavy and muscular and ideally will need
2-3
rescuers with graspers to capture it.
Large cubs can also be difficult to deal with, especially when cornered.
Snared Badgers
They can have terrible injuries if
trapped in a snare for some time and the pain
and distress will make them dangerous.
Do not cut the snare wire
unless the badger is securely held on a grasper as it
may try and escape.
Cover the badger with a warm blanket or cloth while you wait for help.
Contact a Rescue Centre or Badger Group, give directions and wait for
them to come and help.
They will secure the casualty with 1 or more graspers, cut the wire and
take it for treatment.
If the skin is unbroken the badger will still need to be observed for
2-3 days in case it has internal damage.
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