Tara’s Success Story November 2023

WELCOME HOME TARA

Tara, a young Papillon, disappeared while on a walk in Darwen BB3 on the 23 October 2023. She had last been seen near a badger sett by her owner. It was believed that she had gone into this sett.

We were contacted by Tara’s owner later that day to help. We got to work printing posters, thermal scoping the area and setting feed stations up in the area incase she managed to get out. The local badger organisation came once permission had been given by Natural England to put camera probes into the sett (it was proven to be inactive however there were other badger setts nearby). We lent our boroscope to Tara’s owners so they could keep checking and Dyno Rod also helped. We set a Facebook group up for Tara and continued with the thermal scoping and feed stations everyday but all to no avail.

When Tara disappeared her owner heard a rutting dear at the same time but, at the time, did not know what the sound was. It was then thought that she could have ran after the deer. We had a couple of potential sightings but these proved not to be Tara. Tara’s owners continued to use our boroscope checking the inactive badger sett every day. They then found, with the boroscope, that further inside the tunnel had caved in. We feared the worse.

Today, on the 15 November, 3 weeks and 3 days after Tara disappeared, she appeared at the side of the badger sett where she had disappeared! Her owner had been going everyday just to check that she wasn’t there and today she was! It had been raining heavily but she was bone dry and filthy. Tara was taken straight to the vets as her eyes were very gunky and she is really skinny having lost a lot of weight. She was only 3.4kg to begin with and is now only 1.9kg.

The vet did blood tests straight away as she has red spots on her gums indicating that she may have eaten something bad. The blood tests have come back clear thank goodness. Tara has an infection in both eyes and an ulcer in one possibly caused by a trauma. The worse case scenario is that she could possibly lose an eye.

Tara is now home and has eaten and drank water. Understandably she is exhausted and is now sleeping, finally being back home with her family warm, fed and safe . She is back at the vets tomorrow morning for a check up. Get well soon Tara. You are one little trooper .

Thank you to all those who helped including those who shared her posts to raise awareness of her being missing.

Tara is one amazing little girl. She has survived in a badger sett for 3 weeks and 3 days. All 1.9kg of her .