Jasper and Molly met up again with Mini the badger

Hello Boys and Girls, I MOPE you are all enjoying yourselves this week. March already and it'll soon be St Patrick's Day. I can't wait. This is such a great time of the year. The days are getting longer and the leaves are coming back on the trees. Isn't it marvellous to be out and about again? Wait â€Ëœtill I tell you the great news from the woods. Some years ago Molly and I took in a young female badger we found injured. She was in a very bad way. Some cruel people had set dogs on her. They think this is sport. How very sad. Anyway these idiots had blocked up the entrance to her sett, that's where badgers live. They dig out caves underground. She was hurt and very frightened so we called our old friend Tom the Vet. He loves all animals and has a soft spot for woodland creatures. He looked worried and told us there was not much hope. The dogs did terrible damage. He explained that it was not the dogs' fault. They only did what they were trained to do. He said badger baiters are scum and I agree. We called our young badger Mini because she was so small. Tom gave her an injection and told us she needed rest. We put her in a basket by the fire and left a saucer of milk for her and some peanuts. Tom the Vet told us badgers love peanuts. So do I. Maybe that's why I like badgers so much. Well poor Mini slept for a long time. Two whole days in fact and when she awoke she was frightened of us at first. But after a while, and a whole lot of peanuts, she relaxed a little and we became friends. Tom the Vet would drop in on his rounds and check on her. He was happy with her progress but was afraid if she went back to the woods too soon she would not survive. So we kept her warm and comfortable for two weeks until she was fit and well. When Tom gave her the OK we placed her in a carrier and took her back to where we found her. Mini was reluctant to leave us and we were very sad to see her go but she belonged in the woods with her own kind. Badgers are very sociable animals and live in large groups so we're sure she got a great welcome home. We dropped her back at night because they are also night creatures (nocturnal it's called). Well she soon shuffled off and we didn't see her for two years. But just last week we were out late in the woods to see how the badgers, and the foxes, were getting on and who do you think we met? Yes it was Mini herself. We recognised her from the slight limp she was left with and the scar on her forehead. It was our Mini all right. We were delighted. Aunt Molly and I made note of the entrance to Mini's sett, but we couldn't be sure because there are often many entrances as there is nothing a badger loves more than to dig. Dig and clean. That's why you often see mounds of old leaves and the like outside their setts. They are very tidy and clean animals and love fresh bedding. Anyway, we came back the next night and left a pile of peanuts and dried fruit for Mini. When we checked again it was all gone so she found it. We were delighted. Bye for now, Uncle Jasper.