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If the badger is still alive

It is not possible to give a set of step-by-step instructions that you can follow in every situation. The best course of action to take will vary depending on the condition of the animal, where it is situated (in the middle of the road or on the verge; on a dangerous bend or on a stretch of road with good visibility; on a busy main road or a quiet country lane), and where the nearest telephone is located (a mobile phone obviously makes life a lot less complicated).

The following guidelines are designed to help, but the precise course of action to take will depend on the circumstances.

• Safety first. Be mindful of the risk of injury to yourself from the badger (badgers have sharp teeth and powerful jaws and can inflict serious injuries with them). Think also of the risks of injury to yourself from other road users (and vice versa) arising from your activities on or beside a road. Further accidents or injuries will not help anyone, least of all the badger.
• After safety considerations, your priorities are to try to protect the badger from further stress or injury; to stop it trying to move away if it is mobile despite its injuries; and to get expert help to the badger (or vice versa) as soon as possible.
• If the animal is lying in the road and is likely to be struck again, try to prevent this. If you do not have a mobile phone and need to leave the badger while you get to a phone, you could try leaving the badger in the road with a flashing warning light or reflective warning triangle between it and oncoming traffic. If this is not possible because it is clearly too dangerous (a busy road, a dangerous bend etc.), the animal should if possible be moved. If the badger is unconscious, lift the animal by taking hold of it by the loose skin at the scruff of the neck and the rump and move it directly to the verge, or by lifting it or rolling it onto an old blanket, coat or plastic sheet and then lifting that to move the badger without having to handle it further. The animal should not be lifted by the tail alone.
• If the badger is conscious and likely to bite, it is probably best left where it is. If you feel that you really must move it, put your stick / hammer handle / etc near its mouth and get it to sink its teeth into that before carrying out either of the above operations. Act quickly but firmly, any wavering will give the animal the chance to find some part of your anatomy with its teeth, and if it does so you will not forget the experience.
• Cover the badger with an old blanket or coat; this will keep the animal warm, which is important as it will be suffering from shock. This action should also keep the badger calm, which is just as important as this will reduce stress and make the animal much less likely to try to struggle or get away.
• Use your mobile or get to the nearest telephone and call your local Badger Group, the RSPCA / SSPCA / animal rescue organisation or a vet as soon as possible. Tell the person you speak to exactly where the casualty is, and describe its condition. If you have to leave the badger to get to a phone, and if you have a willing passenger, leave them to watch over the badger while you do this. If possible, stay with the casualty and keep an eye on it until help arrives.
• As a last resort, if no one is able to attend to the badger, or if you are so far away from a 'phone that the above procedure is impractical, put the badger, wrapped in an old blanket or coat, into your car and take it directly to the nearest veterinary surgery or wildlife rescue centre. Please note that unless the badger is in a very bad way this action is not generally recommended. On more than one occasion, a person has picked up an unconscious or immobile badger and put it in the back of their car, only for the badger to regain consciousness and mobilty and wreak havoc. It is very difficult to remove an active and usually angry injured badger which is loose in a car, and the process inevitably causes the animal great stress, so think carefully before you take this step.
• If there no-one who can tend to the animal immediately, place it in an empty plastic dustbin, an old tea chest or some other robust container with some bedding (hay, straw or the old blanket / coat) and keep it warm, dark, and away from noise and dogs, until veterinary help is available.
• It is important that you make a note of exactly where the badger was found, in order that it can be released at the precise spot where it was picked up if or when it recovers and is able to return to the wild. It may be helpful to mark the spot in some way while you are at the scene - perhaps by spraying an X on the road with a spray can of paint (another item for the boot of the car...).

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If the badger is dead

If you find that an apparently injured badger is in fact dead, you can still pass on useful information which will help your local Badger Group - and hence the badgers. See Reporting sightings and other evidence of badgers for further details.

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Picture credits

The Eurasian badger photo used at the head of this Article is © Steve Jackson. Credits for the photos used in the right-hand margin of this page for site navigation can be found on the Credits page.

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