It does not help if you are involved in wildlife work or rescue and people try to lead you on wild goose chases. Two people forwarded this to me yesterday evening concerned that it was out in the day and reported as "very agitated". A third person asked whether it was AI as they were far from sure the report was genuine.
Firstly, there are no signs of AI. The scene is lit up by street lights.
I have a large data base of badger photographs and videos (but nowhere near as extensive as the fox archive) and a handy tool to identify images. It took 30 seconds to identify this 'Bristol' image.
Credit states: ""Badgers are becoming an increasingly common site in Britain's towns and cities, where they both forage and establish their setts. It remains unclear whether badgers actively choose urban areas for their homesteads, or if they fail to move when we build around them. - Credit: Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire & Rutland Badger Group"
That check, confirmed by also using an online image check, saved the person who was going to check from wasting time and fuel and searching around a large area.
I have not included the poster's name in case they really are that daft that they do not know the difference between a collie dog and badger but I suspect a hoax.
In the past I have had calls for "injured fox lying out by the road" which turned out to be a fluffy toy (we know who perpetrated that hoax) and we have even had photos sent of foxes at different locations- more hoaxes using stuffed foxes.
In the time wasted on hoaxes some injured animal could be found and treated or taken to a vet to be put out of pain. The fact that drivers in the City and County drive into foxes, badgers, deer and otters and do not even stop or report what has happened is bad enough but that people in the area think it is funny top waste our time with jokes and hoaxes shows the disregard there is toward wildlife.
It is not a joke.
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