Hi Zanderk
So sorry to hear about that sad incident. Sadly, once a badger has got a hedgehog in it’s mouth, it’s unlikely to survive. Badgers have strong jaws and it’s likely that hog would already have internal injuries. I can quite see how it must have been really upsetting for you.
I know it’s very distressing but try not to think too hardly of the badger. They have been persecuted as hogs have and like hogs are just trying to live whilst their habitats are diminishing. Be aware that badgers are protected by law.
Badgers, it seems are becoming more common in towns and suburbs, as much wildlife is.
Normally hogs keep a low profile when there have been/are badgers in the area. i.e. the hogs potentially move to other parts of their range, or possibly even to new ranges. It’s a bit worrying that the two hogs in the boxes may also have been injured. But not all hogs have come out of hibernation yet, so it’s possible that they are ones who haven’t yet come out of hibernation.
You didn’t mention whether you have been supplementary feeding the hogs, but if you have, you really need to stop feeding them until/unless you are certain that there are no/no longer badgers in the area. I know it’s difficult if you have been feeding the hogs for a while, but, to put it bluntly, feeding them would be gambling with their lives. Even if you were able to make a feeding station strong enough to keep a badger out, it could still catch them as they went to or from it. It is likely that if there are badgers in the area they/it will be back. So you need to leave a period of time when it might return and ideally ask around to see if anyone else has seen badgers. Not so easy in the present circumstances, I know, but maybe possible.
If you are lucky and after a suitable length of time you are certain that there are no longer badgers in the area (i.e. if by chance it was a badger that was only passing through) you might find that the hogs feel safe enough to return and that you can risk offering food again. But please don’t do this until you are absolutely certain, or there may be some more sad fatalities.
As I have said elsewhere on the forum, a badger with a taste for hedgehogs is a greater risk to hedgehogs than going without supplementary feeding for a while. Hedgehogs have a chance to find food in the wild and are potentially more alert when they are being completely wild. They may have come to see any feeding station as a safe place and lower their guard.
I wish you and the hogs the best of luck. I hope that you will eventually get hogs back in your garden.
