{"id":951917,"date":"2026-11-04T05:06:16","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T05:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/951917\/"},"modified":"2026-11-04T05:06:16","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T05:06:16","slug":"ecologist-fights-for-custody-of-badger-he-rescued-as-a-cub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/951917\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecologist fights for custody of badger he rescued as a cub"},"content":{"rendered":"

An ecologist in the Scottish Borders is fighting to be allowed to keep a badger that he saved from starvation.<\/p>\n

Graeme Wilson was called out to help the cub, called Harriet, in April after she was found in a cattle trough 100m (300ft) from her sett.<\/p>\n

Wilson nursed the badger back to health but believes she was hand-reared prior to being picked her up and it would be impossible to return her to the wild.<\/p>\n

NatureScot – which turned down his application for an educational licence to keep the animal – said it was continuing talks to try to find a “pragmatic solution”.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Harriet was very thin and dirty when she was found but has been nursed back to health [BBC]<\/p>\n

Wilson runs GW Ecology, a small independent rescue and rehabilitation service at his home in Denholm.<\/p>\n

It carries out surveys to determine whether protected species are present on the sites of proposed property developments.<\/p>\n

He also leads bat walks, workshops and holds educational events about wildlife and how to protect it.<\/p>\n

Wilson describes himself as an “experienced and trained wildlife rehabber” who has cared for a variety of wildlife over the years.<\/p>\n

He argues that an educational licence could allow him to support public understanding of badgers, wildlife rescue and caring for a protected species.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Wilson said the badger had taken to a bottle very quickly [BBC]<\/p>\n

He said that after rescuing Harriet, it quickly became evident to him that she could not go back to where he found her.<\/p>\n

Wilson added: “It was almost second nature when she saw the bottle.<\/p>\n

“I have cared for injured badgers before and never have I seen something like it.<\/p>\n

“It was clear then she couldn’t be released back into the wild.”<\/p>\n

He said NatureScot, the public body responsible for Scotland’s natural heritage and wildlife, had told him she should be returned to the wild or sent to a zoo.<\/p>\n

However, he believes that releasing Harriet into the wild would only result in her being hurt or killed.<\/p>\n

He said: “Badgers are companion animals, they are a social animal and unfortunately for Harriet she has decided that humans are her social group.<\/p>\n

“Can you imagine Harriet approaching someone on a dog walk or in the street?<\/p>\n

“There is only one way that would end.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

NatureScot said the welfare of the animal was its main concern [BBC]<\/p>\n

He said a zoo would also be unsuitable for Harriet, arguing she would become lonely and suffer unnecessary distress.<\/p>\n

“Harriet’s upbringing means she needs human interaction, not to be put behind glass and stared at,” he said.<\/p>\n

Wilson said he would keeping fighting to hold on to Harriet.<\/p>\n

However, he admitted there may not be a lot he can do, despite having the support of several badger rescue groups in Scotland.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The ecologist said an educational licence to keep Harriet would allow him to promote understanding of badgers [BBC]<\/p>\n

Police Scotland has been made aware of the situation.<\/p>\n

NatureScot said talks were ongoing to try to find a way to resolve the issue.<\/p>\n

“We are continuing discussions with Mr Wilson and other relevant organisations to try and find a pragmatic solution to this individual situation,” said a spokesperson.<\/p>\n

“The welfare of the badger is, of course, key while we consider the circumstances of the case.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The Scottish SPCA advises the public not to attempt to hold or touch a sick or injured badger if they come across one [BBC]<\/p>\n

Scottish SPCA advice is that any badger cub discovered outside its sett before it is about 12 weeks old – or about the size of a domestic cat – is likely to need help.<\/p>\n

It said any member of the public coming across a sick or injured badger should not attempt to hold or touch the animal until one of its rescue officers arrives.<\/p>\n

“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,” it said.<\/p>\n

“You should also contact us if you find a badger during daylight hours as they may be struggling.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An ecologist in the Scottish Borders is fighting to be allowed to keep a badger that he saved…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":951918,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[64,63,128,338],"class_list":["post-951917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=951917"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951917\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/951918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=951917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=951917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=951917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}