The badger is a shy animal that humans don't usually see, partly because it's mostly active at night. Therefore, the Jewish National Fund was very surprised when they recently caught the animal with a lens camera – even in broad daylight.
JNF guards at the Birya Fortress in the Birya Forest managed to document the animal, and in one of those records they are seen feeding it grapes – and it enjoys the sweet fruit very much. Omri Shalev, Northern Region Ecologist at the JNF's Forestry Division, said: "Although the badger is common in the Mediterranean regions, it is little observed – with only 10 verified sightings in the Birya forest to date. It's gratifying to see that she calls the forest her home."
Sweet to her. The badger eating grape // Photo: Kamal Khatib and Gadi Katima – KKL-JNF
Shalev elaborated on the badger, which lives in burrows with her family, saying that it eats everything from fruit to insects to small mammals such as mice and hedgehogs. He also said that the badger is not an endangered species and has almost no natural enemies except man, and that its main cause of death is running over. "However, it is important to remember that when encountering a common badger, as with any encounter with a wild animal, it is important to maintain a safe distance, and not to feed, harass or harm it."
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