Residents of Colwyn Bay, Wales, were walking near an old office building early one morning when they passed by an open manhole — and immediately did a double-take. A badger had fallen into the hole and was trapped several feet down. Concerned, the residents called for help.
Both the RSPCA and Clwyd Badger Group came to the rescue, finding the poor badger confused but seemingly unharmed.
RSPCA
“It was a two-person job and it required a long grasper and a reptile bag on a pole to hoist him out,” Louise Showering, an inspector with the RSPCA, said in a press release.
Showering and Dan Rose from Clwyd Badger Group both confirmed that the badger was uninjured following his ordeal. He must have been curious about the uncovered manhole and ended up falling in, and had been waiting for someone kind to come and free him.
“The poor badger must have had quite a shock falling into the manhole, but thanks to the quick action of locals who spotted him, he was safely lifted out and returned to the wild,” Rose said in a press release.
RSPCA
As soon as they confirmed the badger was OK, the rescuers released him, and he could not run off fast enough.
“He was so quick I struggled to get a decent picture of him,” Showering said.
The town caught wind of what had happened, and they quickly covered up the manhole to make sure that no other badgers made the same mistake.
RSPCA
“We’re grateful to everyone who reported it and to the council for securing the site to prevent it happening again,” Rose said. “Badgers can be really inquisitive creatures, and at this time of year they’re snuffling around for any grubs they can eat before the cold weather appears, which can sometimes get them into tricky spots.”
Even though the manhole is now covered up, both the council and the locals will continue to keep an eye out for any adventurous badgers that need help, just in case.
