Badger and hedgehog fight draws police to Aizpute apartment block

A fight between a badger and a hedgehog in the stairwell of an apartment building in the town of Aizpute prompted residents to call police, LSM reported. The badger escaped when officers arrived, while police took the injured hedgehog to a local park.

A resident said the animals made loud, hissing sounds during the night. She went outside to investigate because she was worried her curious cat might run out. She said the badger had fallen on the hedgehog and the two were fighting.

South Kurzeme municipal police inspector Artūrs Petrauskas said officers received the call at about 2:25 a.m. on September 27, reporting two wild animals in the stairwell at Raiņa Boulevard 5. He said it was the first time in his career he had responded to such a call.

Police arrived during what Petrauskas described as one of the most intense moments of the fight. When officers opened a second door, the badger ran past them and escaped. Petrauskas said it remained unclear how the animals had entered, as both doors were closed.

Veterinarian Dzintars Tīds said he was treating the current incident more seriously. He recalled a badger found at a tram stop in Liepāja 16 years ago; it had been dead for several days. Tīds said Latvia had been free of rabies for more than 10 years.