She didn’t know what to do 🥺
Earlier this month, an American badger found herself in a terrifying predicament. While foraging for grubs at night, she became entangled in a soccer net.
Fortunately, someone discovered her the next morning and promptly contacted Tucson Wildlife Center (TWC). When the rescue team arrived, they were heartbroken to see that her head was completely stuck, leaving her unable to free herself. Thankfully, she had no serious injuries.
The team carefully extricated her from the netting and brought her to TWC for treatment. The staff was surprised to see a badger come through their doors, as they usually work with different types of wildlife.
“We actually have badgers out here, which is hard to believe,” Hubert Parker, TWC’s development coordinator, said.
What wasn’t surprising, however, was the situation the badger was in. It’s unfortunately common for wild animals to get caught in various types of netting.
“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,” TWC noted on Instagram.
To prevent such incidents, TWC recommends storing all nets when not in use and securely enclosing any areas with nets. If you find an animal caught in a net, it’s best to leave the rescue to the experts for both your safety and the animal’s.
“You don’t want an inexperienced person going and getting them out of the net,” Parker said. “You need to be trained to do it.”
Fortunately, the badger quickly started to recover. After a few days of rest, treatment, and observation, TWC’s release team transported her to a safe, resource-rich area near where she was originally found.
As she scampered away, the badger stopped to look back at her human caregivers one last time. Then, she was free to continue living her life in the wild.