Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-09-26
FIGHT IN A TUNNEL.
Badgers In the rhiiSdeiphia Zoo Have an
Encounter.


Encounter.
The badgers, PHILADELPHIA zoo, have
been boring around in their own apart
nents for many years They start the
work in u very peculiar manner, They
have sharp shouts which they put in the
ground. Then they stand ON their head
AID rotate vigorously until they set a
start into the earth, After that il is
easy, They use their paws and soon be-
gin casting piles Of soil behind them,
When they set far enough in the ground,
they use all Of their feet. and the tun.
neliug is done with great rapidity.
One of the badgers was vigorously
prosecuting this work yesterday, when
he suddenly gave howl that would
have done credit to n larger and nobler
animal than he is, 1t resountied through
"the ZOO" and awoke the stork that
had been sleeping on one leg near by
The badgers companion urolled him.
self and ran to the recently constructed
tunnel and looked i'll. A pile of dirt
came flying out and struck him square
in the face, SO that he fled, The yelpinS
continued underground until the look
sSS On became startled, Evidently the
badger was suffering. The sound seemed
to come from one hole and then anoth.
er. 1t appeared to he very changeable,
Tho other badger listened to the noiSo
for awhile and then, going over to u
distant hole in the ground, crawled III
and was soon lost to sight,
All Of the tunnels connect with one
another in the badgers apartments, so
that If an animal goes i'll one hole there
is no safety in betting that he will como
out at the same place. In fact, the odds
ale against it. The second badger had
Disappeared but few minutes when
there came n commingling of noises,
Evidently he went down looking for
trouble and had found it. Tho bowls Of
both badgers kept mp until the people
attracted by tho noise wondered what
was up, or rather what was down. Sud
denly there leaped from one of tho holes
a dirt stained animal, about nine inch
es long. 1t went dashing around the
yard as If pursued 1t tried to climb up
the wires Of the cage, and failing fell
to the ground exhausted 1t lay there
trembling
The howls Of pain from the badgers
continued and increased. Finally they
came nearer and nearer the surface
Presently one of the badgers appeared
dragging an animal which was fighting
vigorously. When they reached the
light tho victorious badger stopped howl
ing, Hc released his victim and stared
ut him. It was the other badger.
Both realized that there was II mis-.
take somewhere, Then they cast their
eyes around for the solution. They soon
spied tho trembling animal crouching
i'll another part of the cage. They both
pounced upon it at once and soon it lay
dead at their feet. 1t was large rat,
1t seems that the cold weather had
started the rat to bore vigorously under
ground. A mistake either in its mari
ners' compass or its calculations caused
it to land in the badgers territory. 1t
was boring up as the badger was boring
down, and when they met, tho rat
grabbed tho badger by the nose Then
the trouble began. There was terrific
fight. In some way the rat got free as
the other badger came near and turning
around snapped him i'll the nose. Then
the two badgers made wild rush for
the rat, but they caught each other in
stead. Each, thinking that the other was
an enemy, went to work to Stay him,
The result has been told, Philadelphia
Press