By Isle of Wight Observer
A badger found in a garden in Bembridge on Sunday morning had been poisoned and had to be put to sleep, despite efforts to save it.
A householder in Egerton Road found the creature which was breathing but not moving, and he called out Friends of the Animals, who took it to the Carisbrooke Vets.
The male badger was put on oxygen and a drip and placed on a heat-pad overnight, but when his condition failed to improve, the decision was made to euthanise him the following morning.
A blood test taken to determine whether he had been poisoned was inconclusive, but a post-mortem examination found uncontrolled bleeding in the stomach, a sign that an anticoagulant had been ingested. The most common was warfarin, used in rat poison.
Badgers have legal protection, and anyone found to have intentionally killed or injured a badger, or damaged or blocked access to a sett, can face a 6-month prison sentence and an unlimited fine. The incident has been reported to the police, and the body of the badger collected for further tests by the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme, part of Natural England.
This is the second badger in the area known to have died due to poisoning, although others may have been undiscovered or counted as roadkill; around 250 badgers are found dead near Island roads every year. A badger discovered in a garden in adjacent Howgate Road, in April 2021, was also found to have been poisoned.
Graham Lee, from the Isle of Wight Branch of the Badger Trust, said: “The person who is putting the poison out that killed this badger, whether it is intentional or not, should think very hard about the impact they are having on wildlife, including red squirrels and birds and potentially pets or even children.
“If anybody knows or suspects who is responsible I would ask them to contact us in confidence.
“Badgers are a protected species, but there are legal ways to discourage them from entering your garden. We are happy to give advice – just get in touch via our Facebook page or our website which can be found via iw.observer/iw-badgers.”
The founder of Friends of the Animals, Helen Sinclair, also expressed her sadness: “The Carisbrooke Vets, Friends of the Animals, local wildlife expert, Edward Albert and Badger Trust IW worked hard to save this badger who had been poisoned but unfortunately we were all unsuccessful. The poor animal would have suffered dreadfully.
“The charity abhors the use of poison under any circumstances. When ingested, it causes great pain and is frankly barbarous. There is also a serious danger of a human or animal becoming the non-intended victim.”
Friends of the Animals and the IW Badger Trust will be leafletting the area this weekend.