Success stories

Badger rescued from charity shop returned to the wild

A summer in Somerset saw a lost badger cub stumble into a charity shop, startling shoppers and staff, alike. The bewildered badger was rescued by our wildlife assistants who later found – and returned – her home. 

Published:

05/02/26
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Concerned, cornered and crowned

Many people consider charity shops a haven on the high street – but they’ve not typically been seen as a safe space by badgers. Until, that is, in August 2025 when The Children's Society charity shop in Crewkerne, Somerset, had a black-and-white-striped visitor. 

Much to the surprise of the shop workers, a badger cub ran inside in the middle of a working day and cowered in a corner. After closing the store to keep both the badger and customers safe (badgers can attack if they feel threatened or cornered), staff contacted the RSPCA.

Two wildlife assistants from our West Hatch Wildlife Centre arrived swiftly, and encouraged the cub into a crate. As she ran in, she dragged an item from the shop floor with her – a gold crown with a regal purple velvet trim. Staff let her keep the accessory as a parting gift and even named her King Louis, before discovering she was in fact a Queen (a sow). 

Before

The badger cub was safely captured alongside her crown.

After

The cub curled up after weighing and cleaning at West Hatch.

The badger cub was in our care by early afternoon and was thankfully found to have nothing wrong with her. The cub had obviously just got a little lost – they’re not so confident on local geography.

Tina Huntington, Wildlife Supervisor

King Louis gets the royal treatment

King Louis was stabilised and enjoyed a few days of royal treatment at our West Hatch wildlife centre, while we worked with the Somerset Badger Group to find her natal sett. 

The volunteer-run badger group keeps detailed reports on local badger setts and the age groups of cubs within them, so once we provide them with information on where a badger is found, they quickly set to work to find out where to release it.

The Somerset Badger group regularly partners with the RSPCA, and plays a vital role in releasing rescued badgers.

She sett off on her journey home

Fortunately for King Louis, Somerset Badger Group located her sett, and were able to safely release her back into the familiar wild on August 13th 2025, where she’s undoubtedly play-fighting with her fellow clan members over ownership of her crown.

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