Kent Porter/The Press Democrat
UPDATE: PATHOLOGY REPORT
Susan just wrote to let me know that the necropsy confirmed the young badger had canine distemper, a commonly occurring disease for these animals.
The preliminary pathology report returned today and Wildlife Rescue passed on the information to us. The female badger, estimated age 1-3, who was very underweight, had canine distemper. Wildlife Rescue says that is fairly common in raccoons and foxes, etc.
___________________________________________________________________
Is this the saddest badger picture ever taken? Look at that droopy head and those listless eyes. This badger was picked up weak and sick at the edge of Paula Lane, and it’s a testimony to the hard work of the local wildlife workers that it made it as long as it did. The article describes it as a male but our badger friend Susan Kirks of the Paula Lane Action Network, who was there and should know, insists it was a youngish female. It was found the day the local article ran in response to the chronicle and some wonder whether there might be human causes.
The latest badger was spotted not far from a known badger colony on Paula Lane. Neighbors are trying to preserve the 100-year-old den in a grassy field and have secured a $1 million grant from the Sonoma County open space agency to help buy the land.
Wildlife biologist Kim Fitts said the 11-acre piece is a core breeding area. The badger found Wednesday likely was born there earlier this year and wandered off in search of food, she said.
“A lot of people look at it and say it’s just an open field,” Fitts said. “But to a badger, it’s a lot more than that. It’s extremely important for the survival of the population.”
Susan writes that there has been a flutter of attention to the issue since the article, but that this a sad turn of events.
“A female badger was taken in by Wildlife Rescue about 10 days ago (the second badger in 6 weeks after 16 years of our Wildlife Rescue Center never having any…) and it was at the south end of the Paula Lane corridor. She was very undernourished, had a small wound on hindquarters, looked like puncture, and weighed about half of the normal adult weight. Estimated at 1-3 years of age. Over the weekend she went into seizures and the vet euthanized her. Wildlife Rescue sent her body to UC Davis for necropsy and the pathology report is awaited. I and our biologist and the local news photographer had the opportunity to see her out at Wildlife Rescue. She was of course a beautiful wild creature, but very unnatural behavior, no growling, lethargic, etc.”
Waiting for the pathology report from Davis is sadly familiar for beaver lovers. I’m sorry the badger wasn’t able to make it in her big world, but I hope everyone sees this picture and decides these beautiful creatures are worth saving.
Keep up the good work, Susan. Remember the quote from Brock Evans, “Endless Pressure, Endlessly Applied“. Oh and in case that’s not inspirational enough for you, can you guess what the word Brock means in england?
