Badger Mother Sits with Mouth Open, Head Drooping and Collapses on Ground

When I reviewed the trail camera footage after my latest hike to the sett of the badger pair, what I saw got me really worried. The female badger, who had recently given birth to three baby badgers, started acting like she’s not herself.

I don’t know if she’s sick or just exhausted from the birth and the relentless onslaught of attention demanded by her three fur balls, but after coming out of the sett, she mostly stood nearby with her head drooped, mouth open and a few times she collapsed on the ground.

However despite clearly not feeling well, she always somehow manages to pretend she's fine for the babies. When they're around, she finds strength in some deep part of herself and acts like all's fine and dandy, even though she barely holds herself up. She's a warrior.

I have been monitoring the badger pair for a year and have never seen them with their snout open. It’s as if she could not catch a breath. Very unusual for European Badgers (Meles Meles) and certainly something I have not seen any of the badgers I’ve kept an eye on do. I instantly knew something was not right.

Her posture was also not normal. Badgers are proud and fearless animals. They don’t keep their heads down. The black and white fur coats they wear are a warning to other animals not to mess with them. They don’t try to blend in with the environment and camouflage. They’re not that type of an animal.

So for the female to stand there with her head to the ground and muzzle gaping open was very unlike European Badgers and a clear sign that something was not right. And the way she could not even remain standing and just fell on the floor like a sack of potatoes further signals that something’s awfully wrong.

At this point I however don’t know if the badger mother is sick, or just exhausted. The latter would be less devastating, as she’d just need to get some rest and be fine. Maybe it also has something to do with the lack of nutrition while she expands a lot of it suckling the cubs? But if she’s sick, that may be really bad. Losing the sow would likely mean the end of the cubs as well. They’re still too young to survive on their own.

I’ll keep an eye on the badger family and will keep my finger crossed that the sow gets over whatever is plaguing her and baby badgers grow independent with their mother still alive.

00:00 Disclaimer
00:11 Badger sow with prominent teats come out of the set
00:22 Alone, badger mother breathes heavily with mouth open and head drooping
00:59 Visibly weak, badger mother collapses
01:14 No strength of firmness in her body, she collapses again
01:35 Another angle view of badger mother collapsing
01:45 One badger cub comes out, mother musters strength to look normal
02:00 Badger mother grooms her cub
02:31 Mother does not feel well, but the cub wants to play
02:59 Badger mother on the verge of collapse, but plays cool for the cub
03:27 Mother has had enough and grabs her cub by the neck
03:52 Badger mother collapses for the third time
04:15 All three baby badgers come to their mom after her collapse
04:52 Badger sow plays with her naughty child
05:29 Badger mother can’t stand on her feet anymore, but the cubs still want to play
06:06 She is the most tolerant and cool mom

Keep rocking :o)

Mark
https://www.nophoneman.com/