Early one morning in Colwyn Bay, Wales, pedestrians passing an old office building noticed something unusual about an uncovered manhole. When they peered inside, they were stunned to discover a badger stuck several feet below the street.
The startled animal had apparently fallen into the open hole and couldn’t climb back out on his own. Worried for his safety, residents immediately called for help.
Responders from the RSPCA and the Clwyd Badger Group quickly arrived at the scene. They found the badger shaken and confused, but thankfully unharmed.
“It was a two-person job,” RSPCA inspector Louise Showering said in a press release. “We used a long grasper and a reptile bag attached to a pole to carefully lift him out.”
Once freed, Showering and Dan Rose of the Clwyd Badger Group checked the badger over and confirmed he hadn’t been injured. His misadventure likely began with simple curiosity — a trait badgers are well known for.
“The poor badger must have been quite shocked after falling in,” Rose said. “But thanks to the quick thinking of local residents who spotted him, he was safely rescued and returned to the wild.”
As soon as the rescuers opened the bag, the badger bolted away, eager to put the whole ordeal behind him.
“He was so fast I barely had time to take a photo,” Showering said.
News of the rescue spread quickly, prompting the town to take action. The open manhole was promptly secured to prevent another animal from falling in.
“We’re grateful to everyone who reported it and to the council for fixing the site so this doesn’t happen again,” Rose said. “Badgers are naturally inquisitive, especially at this time of year when they’re searching for food, and that curiosity can sometimes land them in trouble.”
With the manhole now safely covered, residents and local officials remain alert — ready to step in again should any other adventurous wildlife need a helping hand.
