Lots of teeth, sharp claws: Sask. wildlife group rescues 'adorable' young badger
Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation staff are getting a crash course in caring for an animal they've never had before — a badger.
"My friend who did raise a badger before, another rehabilitator, had said to me, 'no cuddling,' and I thought, of course, no cuddling. And then when I saw him, I said, 'Oh, my God, I want to cuddle him,'" executive director Jan Shadick said.
Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation staff are getting a crash course in caring for an animal they've never had before — a badger. (Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation/Facebook)
On July 1, the centre got a call about a mother badger dead on the road near Tisdale, with three cubs nearby. From the photos the centre received, it looked like the cubs were in good shape, and late June is when they'd typically leave their mother, so the centre decided to let them figure out how to survive on their own, Shadick said.
However, the next day the centre got word that at least one of them had died and two staff members went to catch the survivors. They trapped the male almost instantly and found the other two dead, likely of starvation, Shadick said.
"I don't have an easy answer. Just for whatever reason, two of them didn't make it."
Now safe at the centre, the surviving badger, about the size of two footballs and with a lot of teeth and very large claws, is quiet and sweet — unusual for the species and due to him having been debilitated.
"I mean, if you give him a mouse, the ferociousness kind of comes out. If you scare him, he sounds really frightening. But otherwise, he's just kind of hanging out and sleeping. I think he's obviously quite traumatized by his experience. Probably feeling very relieved to be getting food and water at this point," Shadick said.
The centre has had success rehabilitating similar predators such as young foxes, raccoons and hawks who struggled to learn to find food once they left their mothers' care, she said. Ideally, they'd find a place to release him where they can keep an eye on him.
"I think we have kind of a teenage badger that looks like a full-grown badger except it's a little small and it doesn't have the skills yet to survive."
Shadick also noted that many young animals are becoming more mobile this time of year; young badgers are particularly vulnerable because they hang out in ditches near the road, and porcupines are very slow-moving, she said.
She encourages people to slow down on the roads and watch out for wildlife to avoid hitting them, and to never use poison which is indiscriminate in which animals it kills.
Anyone who sees young badgers should leave them alone instead of trapping and moving them, she said.
"A lot of these animals don't tend to stay in one place. Badgers are usually little wanderers, they follow the food and so wherever there's food, that's where they'll go."
Since the centre posted about the badger on its Facebook page, some people have contacted them saying they have badgers and want to get rid of them — but also people who have badgers and want more, since they help keep pest species down.
Badgers are an endangered species in Ontario and British Columbia, according to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
"They're very useful and beneficial. Everything has a place in the environment and badgers are no different. And so if we can learn to coexist with them, that would be great."
Correction
This story has been updated to clarify the areas in which badgers are endangered.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.