Just before 1am on Monday morning “Bojangles” the badger was released back to the wild in Portslade after seven weeks in hospital being looked after by East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service.
“Bojangles” the badger was rescued by WRAS after being called out by Badger Trust Sussex. The badger was found with numerous bite wounds and blooded injuries to his head, neck and back.
Whilst the rescue was taking place WRAS volunteer rescuer Daryl Farmer, was rowing across the Atlantic solo, and at the moment of admission Daryl crossed the 61-degree line meaning he had officially crossed the Atlantic. So the badger was named after his boat “Bojangles”.
“Just after 5pm I messaged Daryl asking for news of his crossing, just as WRAS took a rescue call from Badger Trust Sussex. Badgers are one of Daryl's favourite wild animals. The timing was impeccable, as Daryl crossed the Atlantic, the badger was being admitted to WRAS. As I text Daryl that we had admitted a badger he text back ‘Yes! Yes! Its Official, we crossed the Atlantic’ followed by ‘Hows the badger?’” explained WRAS Duty Rescue Co-ordinator Chris Riddington.
The pressure was on now to pull this badger through after having such a name placed on its shoulders. “He had some horrific wounds to the neck, head and mouth and WRAs’s founder Trevor Weeks came down and joined Casualty Manager Katie and I and we spent the evening cleaning and treating the poor creatures wounds” said Chris.
The next day the badger went to Henley House Vets in Uckfield to have an abscess and infected wounds better cleaned under sedation.
“Bojangles” the badger took a long time to recover. His head wound had exposed the skull, and the neck wounds needed suturing in places. “This has to be one of the worse cases of territorial fighting of badgers I have ever seen” said Trevor Weeks “his injuries were quite serious but his determination and perseverance reminded us of Daryl and his row. Chris and Katie kept a close eye on ‘Bo’ and he was given medication and regularly checked over to ensure the wounds were healing correctly.”
As Daryl returned home, ‘Bo’ got stronger and stronger and when Daryl returned to his rescue shift, the two finally met! This week Daryl’s boat Bojangles arrived back in the UK from Antigua and in the early hours of Monday morning when the roads were at their quietest, our Badger “Bojangles” also returned home to Portslade. He was released by Daryl and Trevor safely back where found using WRAS’s new ambulance part funded by Daryl’s row, Eastbourne Co-op and Ben Sherlock.
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Notes:
WRAS’s new ambulance will be officially launched in the next couple of weeks as it is still being equipped.
The badger was released at Mill Lane, Portslade, very close to where found as Badgers are territorial they have to be released where found to avoid putting them back in the wrong territory.
Daryl Farmer from Forest Row, took 96 days to row single-handed across the Atlantic setting off from La Gomera on 14th December 2017 and arriving in Antigua on 21st March 2018 raising over £14,000 for East Sussex WRAS.
East Sussex WRAS is an award winning community charity all rescue rescuers are volunteers.
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