Bungling badger rescued from cemetery manhole on poignant anniversary

A badger fell down a manhole at a Leicester cemetery - but was rescued by an RSPCA inspector on a very personal anniversary.

The bungling badger fell down the uncovered manhole at Leicester’s Gilroes Cemetery and Crematorium last Tuesday (February 14) and became trapped. 

When the call came through to the RSPCA from concerned members of the public, inspector Herchy Boal was sent to the scene.

However, the date and location of the trapped badger was a weird coincidence for Herchy. February 14 was the third anniversary of her father Puran Singh Boal’s funeral at Gilroes.

When Herchy arrived at the manhole, she found the badger staring back up at her and unable to get out of the shaft.

It was unclear if the creature was female and potentially pregnant, meaning she had to act fast.

That led Herchy to get creative and she turned to getting two large tree branches and placing them down the hole to form a makeshift ladder.

However, the badger did not seem to think it was in grave danger and was in no rush to get out, taking its time to leave the manhole safely, but without an audience.

Reports made to the RSPCA later that day confirmed it had run off in the direction of the cemetery but was safely on firmer ground.

The coincidence of the date and location was something Herchy could not ignore.

She said: “When the RSPCA call centre told me where the job was I was a bit taken back - given it was the third anniversary of my dad’s funeral and this rescue was at the same place he had been cremated - it was a very weird twist of fate. I almost felt like my dad would have been watching me do the rescue.

“He was always so very proud of my work as an inspector and he was also such a huge animal lover, it all seemed too much of a coincidence for this rescue to have been there on the same day.

"It did make me smile when I thought about how my dad could be watching over me doing the job he loved me doing so much.

“It was a very special rescue for me. I always love a happy ending when wildlife are returned safely back to the wild.”