In the fall two winters ago, during one of my regular walks through the woods, I stumbled upon a hole of a European Badger (Meles Meles) and set up a trail camera near his sett to monitor his life. One day the camera capture him with an injured leg. The sight of this animal in distress struck a chord within me, and I decided to do everything I could to help him.
Over the next few weeks, I made it my mission to save the injured badger's life. He was unable to walk or hunt, and it became clear that he wouldn't make it through the winter. I began bringing food to the entrance of his sett every day, hoping that he would emerge and start eating. But as the fall came to an end and winter was setting in, the worst case scenario began to take an ever stronger hold.
Despite my best efforts, I lost the badger. His sett lay dormant for the rest of the winter, and into the following year. It was only in the spring, a year and a half later, that I noticed the entrance to the sett had been cleared of debris. I set up the trail camera once again, and to my surprise (not really), caught footage of a young badger working hard to clean out the abandoned sett and make it his own.
Year and a half ago I made a whole set of videos capturing the entire saga of the Injured Badger, from his initial discovery to his unfortunate end. And now the saga continues as we witness a new badger taking up residence in the same sett, determined to make it his cozy home. At the end of the video, I included some of the trail cam footage, which shows the young badger's efforts to create a new life in what was once the Injured Badger's home.
Overall, this story is a testament to the incredible power of nature and the interconnectedness of all living things in the ecosystem. It also highlights the importance of conservation efforts and protecting the habitats of wild animals, so that they can continue to thrive and adapt to changing circumstances.
Keep watching until the end for a shot of the badger's old/new roommate.
00:00 Disclaimer
00:10 Unceremonious Return to the Injured Badger's Hole
00:35 Young Badger Discovers the Abandoned Sett
01:03 Trail Camera Set Up
01:33 Snow and Freezing in April
01:50 Repurposed Badger Sett
02:17 European Badger Trail Cam Footage Compilation
03:10 Badger Sniffs Trail Camera
03:20 Badger Cleans Up the Sett
04:33 Badger Takes Chill Break on His Back
05:06 Badger Back at Work
05:44 Badger's Roommate
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