Overview
- A severely underweight badger cub named Harriet was rescued from a cattle trough in April and nursed back to health by ecologist Graeme Wilson in the Scottish Borders.
- Wilson says Harriet shows clear human habituation, readily bottle-fed and distressed by attempted releases, and he argues she cannot safely survive if returned to the wild.
- NatureScot has refused his application for an educational licence and advised either releasing Harriet or transferring her to a licensed zoo while noting he may let her roam freely from his property without restricting her movements.
- Rehabilitation experts including the British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council and the Scottish SPCA warn that human habituation alone does not justify permanent private keeping and stress the need for specialist facilities, species-specific care and veterinary oversight.
- Discussions involving Wilson, NatureScot and other organisations are continuing, Police Scotland has been notified, and a public GoFundMe campaign seeks funds for Harriet’s care or a purpose-built habitat if permission is granted.