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Is this badger bummed?
At the Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue Center in Cotati on Thursday, a female badger rests in a holding pen. The badger was found wandering on a street near a badger den in west Petaluma earlier this week.
Photos by Kent Porter/The Press DemocratPublished: Friday, September 4, 2009 at 3:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, September 4, 2009 at 11:50 p.m.
Wildlife officials say the second badger caught in Petaluma in about a month is not living up to the species' feisty reputation and may even be depressed.
The juvenile badger, found in a back yard near Bodega Avenue on Wednesday, has nibbled several field mice but does not show the usual traits connected to the ornery critter.
It stared silently from an open cage Thursday at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue as volunteers bottle-fed baby raccoons across the room.
“We'd prefer they were growling at us when we walked in,” said Kristen Reeder, education and outreach director. “He almost seems depressed.”
Lately, rescue officials have had a rare opportunity to make comparisons.
Last month, Petaluma animal control officers caught another badger in Petaluma in the parking lot of Longs Drugs on East Washington Street.
It exuded attitude. After a quick medical check and a few square meals, the animal was released back to the wild.
The same thing will happen to the most recent catch if it gets a clean bill of health. It has a small abscess on its side and is a little underweight, Reeder said.
“We'll fatten him up first,” she said. “Just try to wild him up a bit.”
Badgers are indigenous to the region but aren't often seen because they are nocturnal, solitary animals that don't really like people.
But continued encroachment on their habitat may be driving them into the public eye, said Doris Duncan, executive director of the rescue center.
It's happened with many other species. The rescue center on Meacham Road is now home to coyotes, mountain lions, foxes and snakes.
Duncan said the badgers are the first in about 16 years. “We're kind of moving in on their territory,” Duncan said. “There is nowhere else for them to forage.”
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.”
You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 762-7297 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.
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