At face value it's a situation which most would see as black and white.
Not so the Scottish ecologist who is in a bizarre battle with a government quango over a badger he saved and hand-reared.
NatureScot has demanded Graeme Wilson release Harriet, a nine-month-old cub, into the wild or the care of a zoo.
Mr Wilson, 55, insists Harriet would be unlikely to survive in the countryside or captivity because of her strong bond to humans. He said: 'I am devastated. She sees humans as her clan. She's not used to being enclosed and not used to other animals.'
Ecologist Graeme Wilson has grown close to Harriet, the nine-month-old badger cub he has raised since April
NatureScot are demanding Graeme release Harriet into the wild or the care of a zoo
Mr Wilson has run a wildlife rescue and education service from his home in Denholm, Roxburghshire, for 20 years and was called in April after the undernourished two-month-old badger was found in a cattle trough in nearby Hawick.
He nursed her back to health and now keeps Harriet in his back garden but NatureScot has said she must be rewilded or moved to a zoo by today.
Mr Wilson added: 'I think she is best staying with me. However, I have to make it clear if there is somewhere better for her to go, I would do it.'
A spokesman for NatureScot said: 'Our understanding was that Mr Wilson had agreed to release the badger into his garden and its surroundings after Bonfire Night. We support this reasonable approach.'
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