Scots ecologist who SAVED badger suspended from wildlife charity - who say animal may be euthanised

Published: 14:26 EST, 9 November 2026 | Updated: 14:33 EST, 9 November 2026 A Scottish ecologist fighting to save a rescued badger has been suspended from a wildlife charity – who say the animal may have to be killed.Graeme Wilson found starving Harriet in a cow trough and nursed her back to health saying she had likely been hand-reared previously.The 55-year-old claims the animal cannot be returned to the wild as she keeps returning when released and applied for an educational licence to keep her.But NatureScot has refused his application and now the British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (BWRC) has suspended Mr Wilson’s membership while the charity, together with Scottish Badgers and the Badgers Trust, say Harriet has to be placed in a specialised rehabilitation or euthanised.In a joint statement the three organisations said the case raised serious concerns ‘about professionalism, animal welfare and the message it sends to the public’.The charities also criticised the BBC for its coverage of Mr Wilson’s rescue attempt.They added: ‘The BBC’s recent coverage of Harriet, the badger cub at the centre of a dispute over her future, raises serious concerns about professionalism, animal welfare, and the message it sends to the public. Ecologist Graeme Wilson saved Harriet the badger's life Harriet was found starving in a cow trough and was nursed back to health‘Wildlife rehabilitation is not about hand-rearing animals, becoming attached to them, and then deciding they should spend the rest of their lives in captivity because improper practice has made them accustomed to human contact.’The statement said it was a ‘deeply sad outcome’ for Harriet to become so accustomed to people she cannot be released into the wild.And it went on: ‘Badgers are wild animals with innate, deep-rooted instincts and needs.‘They need the company of other badgers: for play, social interaction and grooming, safety, natural foraging, mating and raising young.‘Human affection cannot replace those social bonds.’While accepting Mr Wilson ‘clearly had a good heart and good intentions’, he should have sought help from licensed wildlife rescue centres.The trio said the animal’s options are now limited, pointing out they oppose the keeping of badgers in permanent captivity.Their statement concluded: ‘However, in this extreme case, the options are extremely limited. These include euthanasia or discussions about placement in a zoo or sanctuary.‘However, we do not believe that any facility could realistically provide the necessary welfare requirements for a social, burrowing mammal that is most active at dawn and dusk, or replicate the complex social structure and interactions that she would naturally experience within a badger clan.’The BWRC also confirmed Mr Wilson’s individual associate membership with the charity has been ‘suspended following the emergence of this story’.Mr Wilson, who runs GW Ecology, a rescue and rehabilitation service at his home in Denholm, Roxburghshire, said: ‘I just want the right decision made for Harriet.‘I’ve always taken the view that if it cannot be released, but it can be kept humanely in captivity, then that’s what would happen.‘If it can’t be kept in captivity under humane conditions, then obviously euthanasia is the route to go.’