Darn Wisconites...oh, wait, this is from England...

[Dalmatian90]

Things you find waiting for class to begin...

May 13, 2003

Badger savages man during 48-hour rampage
by pa news



The wife of a man who was savaged by a badger outside their home said today he would be permanently scarred by the ordeal.

Pam Fitzgerald said the attack on her husband Michael, 67, at the front door of their house in Evesham, Worcestershire, was "like something out of a horror movie".

The animal injured four other people during a 48-hour rampage around the town in what is thought to be an "unprecedented" attack.

It left Mr Fitzgerald with severe wounds to his forearm and legs. The retired BBC producer and director has undergone skins grafts at Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham. He is expected to return home later today.

Mrs Fitzgerald, 60, said she and her husband had gone to bed at around 11pm last Friday when they heard a loud bang in their garage.

Her husband went to investigate and opened the garage to let the badger out before retiring to the front door to watch it go.

Instead of scuttling away, the animal headed straight for him and attacked. Mrs Fitzgerald, who had come downstairs and was standing behind her husband at the time, said: "It was like something out of a horror movie, he was bleeding so badly.

"To hear your husband screaming and shouting in such pain, it was horrifying."

She called an ambulance which took Mr Fitzgerald to Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Worcester, but doctors decided he needed plastic surgery in Birmingham.

Mrs Fitzgerald said she had been to visit her husband several times in hospital, adding: "He is very badly shaken up and he's going to be permanently scarred."

Worcestershire Badger Society put down the badger after catching it in a trap laid on the Fitzgeralds' front lawn.

It is thought it had escaped from a local visitor centre, where it had been kept in captivity.

Mrs Fitzgerald added: "From what we understand, it would not have been frightened of humans. Badgers have been known to attack badgers from other setts, which is probably why it went for Mike, because he was a stranger."

Mike Weaver, chairman of the Badger Society, said the mammal had attacked four other people, including a young man in the Greenhill area of Evesham.

Mr Weaver said: "I have never heard of anything like this in 24 years of work with badgers throughout the UK."

He acknowledged that injured badgers or those which were being handled had been known to bite humans, but attributed its "uncharacteristic" behaviour to the fact it had been kept in captivity prior to its period of freedom.

"For them to attack people is unheard of," Mr Weaver added.

"This badger had no fear of humans and it shows the folly of trying to keep wild animals as pets."

[tanker5117]

Did anyone think to check for rabies?

[Dalmatian90]

Digging into the vast realms of my useless trivia banks...

Rabies doesn't exist in England, and they work hard to keep it out.

Until the last year dogs & cats coming into England had to undergo a mandatory 6 month quarantine (not at home but in a kennel) as part of the rabies prevention program. It's eased up, but there's still strict requirements.

[FireSarge]

hmm anyone think ot use a gun

wait the brits outlawed alot of those too hmm

no wonder the damn thing could attack 4 people

[martinm]

As someone who lives ina rural area and sees quite a few of these I can confirm that you would NOT want to upset one. They are extremely tempermental and tenacious and will defend themselves to the death.

I can only assume that there may have been young ones nearby which is why the gentleman may have been attacked if the mother/father thought that there was a threat to them.

Fully grown, badgers are about the height/width/length of an adult springer spaniel, but much, much bulkier. They also move very quickly and as the injured party has demonstrated, have extremely sharp teeth and claws.

As for the comment about the use of guns, Mr Badger is a protected species, and the penaltyies for intentionally killing one are quite severe, ie JAIL. This is because "badger baiting" is very popular amongst the more baser elements of society over here, who like to pit the badgers strength against dogs.The badger normally looses, but only after a long and very bloody battle.

Here endeth the natural history lesson. Next class?

(PS Dal, you were on the money about rabies. We don't have it and don't want it).

[tanker5117]

Martin, would you still test for rabies in this type of situation?

[martinm]

Would'nt have thought so. Things like tentanus, yes. But there has'nt been a confirmed animal rabies case over here for many years. I think the last one was in the 80's in Scotland. Testing for this sort of disease would'nt be very high on the list.

[Adze39]

Something I've always thought about and finally figured it out...I know why Dal reads and posts so much news from England...


Dal: I know you live in New England, but it isn't actually in England!!!

[FireSarge]

hmm go to jail or let the thing maul other people

tough decision





endangered species or not any threat to humna life should be dealt with lethal force

[FireSarge]

do you think they would let an escaped tiger continue to run around mauling people or would you shoot it first then decide on the actions


and dont say its a different situation cuz its the same situation with the same problem

[engine23ccvfd]

Better to be tried by twelve than carried by six...

[raven911]

I'da shot it anyway! Luckily, most of the game laws in the US are reasonable when it comes to defense of human life.

[FFsSignfOthr]

I'm pretty sure it's legal to shoot any animal (and some people) in self-defense. Still not sure why they went through the hassle of trapping it unless it went underground.

A friend of mine was bowhunting and was trapped in a tree for hours while a badger paced below. Finally his friends came looking for him and scared it off.

We had a tiger loose in town years ago. It escaped from a game farm. They cornered it in a barn and were waiting for the vet to come with a tranquilizer gun, but one of our overzealous deputies shot it.
A few years later I was working out there and was "attacked" by a timberwolf. My fault I guess, for not following wolf etiquette. I put my arm over the back of the alpha female and she had me flat on my back so fast I didn't know what hit me. She stood on my chest with her teeth gripping my throat. Thank God I knew enough to submit and not fight back or she could have killed me. It pays to watch the Discovery channel

[Engine5FF]

Originally posted by raven911
I'da shot it anyway! Luckily, most of the game laws in the US are reasonable when it comes to defense of human life.

Ya, sure. Here we just have to yell "It's coming right for us!" before we blast it to bits. (Respect my authoritaaayyy!)

[FireSarge]

hey around here grab your shotguns and blast away


hopefully the hillbillies aint so drunk they shot the wrong thing