Badger rescued after getting tangled in football net

A badger had to be rescued after getting tangled in the back of a football net.

The distressed animal was found trapped in the net of a garden football goal and had to be freed by animal welfare officers.

The shocked homeowners in Falkirk called the Scottish SPCA who managed to cut the male badger free on June 20.

He was cared for by staff at the National Wildlife Centre, Fishcross, Clackmannanshire where he was also treated for minor injuries, before being released back into the wild.

The SPCA warned of the dangers of nets and urged people to put sports nets away to prevent serious animal injuries and deaths

Scottish SPCA animal rescue officer Emma Chisholm said, “The caller contacted us after they found the badger tangled in the net of a child’s football goal.

“Thankfully we were able to get to the animal before he caused himself serious injury.

“I was able to successfully free the badger from the net and he was taken to our National Wildlife Centre at Fishcross to be treated for minor injuries.

“After some time to rest and recover, he was successfully released back in to the wild on June 26.”

She added: “This badger was very lucky that the homeowner was vigilant and noticed him in the garden but the outcome could have been very different.

“Nets like these can be very dangerous for both domestic and wild animals as they can easily become tangled.

“The animal then panics and becomes even more entangled as it struggles to free itself.

“It causes a great deal of stress and in the worst case scenario, the animal can end up accidentally strangling itself.

“We’d ask anyone with one of these nets in their garden to keep an eye out for any animals in difficulty and, if possible, tidy the net away somewhere safe once they’ve finished using it.”