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A ‘Very Angry Badger’ Which Forced Closure Of Castle In Scotland Has Left The Property

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 07:41 PST, Apr 23, 2018

The staff at Craignethan Castle, a 500-year-old castle in South Lanarkshire near Lesmahagow in Scotland, tweeted last week that part of the castle would not be open to the public due to a “very angry badger.” Late last week, a cellar tunnel still remained closed as the badger seemed irritated by people walking on the property.

A ‘Very Angry Badger’ Destroyed Some Of The Building Structure In The Tunnels

BBC reported that Historic Environment Scotland, which manages the site, says that the cellar tunnel would remain closed until the completion of repairs to damage done by the angry badger. Animal welfare experts tried a variety of techniques to lure the badger out of the tunnel with food in an effort to rehome him.

The rest of the castle remained open to the public despite the badger’s presence and the damage to the masonry. But at some point in the early hours of the weekend in Scotland, the angry badger left the building or left the 500-year-old castle surrounded by an artillery fortification.

Badgers are woodland creatures that tend to live in the wooded area around Craignethan Castle, but animal welfare assumes that the angry badger got lost or separated from the other local badgers.

The Very Angry Badger Had Left The Castle During The Weekend

The Twitter account for Historic Scotland first posted a message about the “very angry badger” back on April 13 warning visitors to Craignethan Castle that they wouldn’t have access to the full castle.

“If you’re heading to #CraignethanCastle over the next few days you might find the Cellar Tunnel closed due to the presence of a very angry badger. We’re trying to entice it out with cat food & send it home to #chilloot “

But recently the story was updated after someone on the Historic Scotland works team checked on the badger wearing a Go Pro only to find that the angry badger had left the building.

“#Badgerupdate Our works team have used a Go Pro this morning to view the tunnel and it seems our visitor has vacated. We’ll keep the tunnel closed in the interim while we do a little housekeeping following its visit.”

The Angry Badger At The Craignethan Castle Was First Spotted Weeks Ago

The Guardian reported that the staff at Craignethan Castle first noticed some freshly dug dirt around the entrance to the tunnels, and then saw the badger. While digging, the badger attempted to burrow through the stonework in the 500-year-old structure.

On social media, people suggested everything from putting out cat food, peanuts, and honey for the badger who seemed angry when spotted.

The website for Craignethan Castle explains the history of the property.

“The castle was built in the early part of the 16th century by Sir James Hamilton of Finnart. It features a caponier – an enclosed tunnel with gunports overlooking the ditch – which is rare in the British Isles, and in its heyday hosted James V and his daughter Mary, Queen of Scots.”

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