On May 18, an animal that looked like a badger was spotted in Shukugawa.
(Information provided by Nokky. Thank you!)
Here it is↓
It was around 4:50 p.m. Apparently it was somewhere between Kitsuyamacho and Tonoyamacho〜
Here it is on the map↓
A badger casually lying down on the sidewalk.
A badger that looks a little on alert.
What kind of animal is a badger?
Its official name is the Japanese badger (Meles anakuma). It belongs to the weasel family and is different from raccoon dogs and masked palm civets.
Its special skill is digging like heavy machinery. It can dig tunnels big enough for a person to enter in a single night and lives in complex underground mazes.
Its favorite menu is a full course of earthworms. It is omnivorous and also eats acorns, insects, small animals, fruit, and more.
Its striking black-and-white mask may be meant to intimidate enemies. Despite its appearance, it is shy and nocturnal.
It seems they were also appearing at Hyogo Prefectural Nishinomiya High School
When we looked into it, it seems they were also at Hyogo Prefectural Nishinomiya High School.
Apparently, one had made a drainage pipe on campus its den, and in just two months it was caught on camera more than 300 times. It would start moving around as early as the 5 a.m. hour and even run into raccoon dogs and raccoons. The survey seems to have started after school closures began due to COVID-19〜. If you want to read more, click here.
Finally
Even if you come across one, please make sure not to get within at least 2 meters of it. If cornered, it may charge in a low posture or even bite. Come to think of it, a masked palm civet also showed up a few years ago, didn’t it?
※Nokky, thank you for the information!!
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