North Dakota boy enjoyed his unusual pet — a badger named Biscuit

Richard Kadry read a Neighbors story a while ago about a boy who had a crow for a pet.

“How about a pet badger?” he writes.

Richard, formerly of Binford, N.D., and now of West Fargo, sent in his story and the picture, which was taken on the family farm when he was 15.

“While snaring gophers in the pasture, I came upon a young badger searching for his mother just outside their den; a large hole in the ground,” he writes. “I put a piece of twine around his neck and led him home. I named him Biscuit.

“He adopted me immediately and we were friends the whole summer while he lived in the chicken coop.

“If you get such an animal early enough, they can be trained and desensitized to a person.

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“They dig to find mice, gophers and other small animals, so he enjoyed a repast when I would return with snared gophers.

“I learned a lot about the physical makeup of this sturdy animal as it grew, and I showed him to friends. I would take him to town and let him sit on my shoulder, but he hissed loudly and showed his teeth if anyone else got too close.

“Badgers have a wide body, a short neck, flat heads and deadly claws. When fully grown, they are silver gray and about 2 feet long.

“Using their front claws, they are famous diggers and live underground. A member of the weasel family, they will fight savagely if cornered.

“The badger gets its name from the ‘badge’ or markings on its face.”

Richard says Biscuit was set free to roam before winter set in that year.

If you have an item of interest for this column, mail it to Neighbors, The Forum, Box 2020, Fargo, ND 58107, fax it to 701-241-5487 or email blind@forumcomm.com.