Five Hurt in Badger Rampage

LONDON (Reuters) - An angry domesticated badger savaged five people, leaving
one man so seriously injured he needed skin grafts, and chased away pursuing
police officers during a 48-hour rampage through a quiet English town.

One-year-old Boris launched what experts described as unprecedented attacks
after finding himself hungry, alone and frightened after being stolen or
released from a wildlife visitor center where he had been hand-reared and
hand-fed.

"I have been involved with badgers for 24 years and I have never heard of
anything like this, nor has anyone I have spoken to," Mike Weaver, chairman
of the Worcestershire Badger Society told Reuters on Tuesday.

Weaver was brought in by police to catch Boris, who had bitten the five
victims' arms and legs after getting loose near Evesham, Worcestershire, in
central England.

The officers themselves had been chased onto the bonnet of their car as they
tried to round up Boris, who was later put down.

Weaver said badgers were notoriously powerful animals and the incident
showed the folly of trying to turn wild animals into pets.