The Shelter for Abandoned Animals of the City of Zagreb, located in Dumovec on the eastern edge of the city, helps animals daily and houses pets for adoption. It most often deals with household animal rescues, but over Easter weekend, the shelter carried out a bit of an unusual intervention: it bailed out a trapped badger.
The young badger got stuck in a concrete pit. At first, citizens that noticed it tried to intervene alone. They placed a long wooden board inside the pit, in hopes the badger could use it to climb out. Unfortunately, their commendable attempt didn't work - so they called in the experts.
The shelter arrived with a special device and successfully pulled the badger out. He was examined, found to be healthy, and let loose in a nearby forest where they assumed his family was living.
An increased number of badger interventions have been carried out this year by the shelter: from January to April, it's already had seven. In recent years, it's only had about a dozen annually. Badgers usually live on the outskirts of the city, but since the COVID-19 crisis began and a smaller amount of people and vehicles have been outside. And so, badgers have been approaching more urban areas.
If you see an animal in distress, call local animal protection services.
In Zagreb, you can contact the shelter's field crew that is ready for action at any time - no matter the species.