Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

500-Year-Old Scottish Castle Forced to Shut Down Due to 'Very Angry Badger'

500-Year-Old Scottish Castle Forced to Shut Down Due to 'Very Angry Badger'
Arterra/Getty Images

For one glorious day, Craignethan Castle in Scotland must have felt like it did during the old days—the site of an epic battle, with heroic forces facing off for control of each hall and turret! During the dark ages, the competing forces would be armored knights, but in our modern era the warriors are even more exciting: a group of tourists and one "very angry badger."


The castle's tunnel was closed the week of Sunday, April 8, due to a badger conflict.

Historic Scotland, the organization that oversees the castle, hatched a plan to entice the badger out of its hidey-hole with cat food. Unfortunately, they didn't manage to lure it back to the wilds until it had already "dug through loose soil and stonework, leaving behind a mess." The BBC reported that the combative badger "wandered" into the castle from the nearby woods, though it seems just as likely the beast was making an intentional choice to invade the castle and become a Lord.

Though the badger is gone, visitors won't be able to enjoy the tunnel for a little while longer.

Scotland's national newspaper,The Scotsman, reports the tunnel will remain off limits until it can be cleaned and otherwise de-badgered. The rest of the castle, however, will carry on as usual — as long as a certain someone doesn't return for revenge.

If the badger wanted to take over a castle, Craignethan is a good choice.

The castle was built in 1530 and featured special "fortifications" to protect it from artillery, a state-of-the-art development for its time. At one point, the castle also had a very nice rampart, though it was destroyed in 1579 and is now seen only as a ruin.

And if you're a Game of Thrones fan, the castle's history reads like something from the mind of George R.R. Martin.

The opening of the castle's history on Wikipedia reads:

The barony of Draffane, in which Craignethan was located, was a property of the Black Douglases until their forfeiture in 1455. The land was granted to the Hamilton family, and in 1530 was given by James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran to his illegitimate son James Hamilton of Finnart.

James Hamilton of Finnart had travelled in Europe, and had become an accomplished architect and military engineer. Appointed Kings Master of Works, he was responsible for the defences at Blackness Castle, as well as the renaissance facades of Linlithgow Palace. At Craignethan, he set out to build a "showcase" to display his talents in both domestic and military architecture.

If you were visiting Craignethan last week and found yourself barred from the tunnel, thank your good fortune.

Badgers are the largest carnivores in Scotland. Though they're mostly peaceful creatures, they can be dangerous when cornered, scared, or attempting to carve out a place for themselves in feudal Europe. Perhaps we should consider ourselves lucky everyone made it out alive.

H/T - Huffpost, The Scotsman

More from Trending

Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump Blasted For Announcing New Additions To The White House Lawn As Global Tensions Escalate

President Donald Trump was criticized after announcing that two new flagpoles would be added to the North and South Lawns of the White House—not the greatest look amid heightened global unease as tensions between Israel and Iran ramp up.

According to the Associated Press, Trump watched as a crane installed the newest flagpole on the South Lawn, remarking, “It’s such a beautiful pole.” He later returned to the site to salute as the American flag was raised for the first time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Donald Trump from CNN supercut
CNN

Trump Mocked For 'Two Weeks' Iran Deadline With Supercut Of All His 'Two Weeks' Promises

President Donald Trump has a history of promising to resolve problems within "two weeks," and a new viral supercut mocks him for all the times he's said as much—including right now with tensions in the Middle East higher than ever.

Trump said Thursday he will decide within two weeks whether to involve U.S. forces directly in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, citing what he called a “substantial chance” for renewed nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

Keep ReadingShow less
red flag with pole on seashore
Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash

People Break Down The 'Silent Red Flags' Folks Tend To Ignore In Relationships

A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.

People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Tucker Carlson
The Tucker Carlson Show

Tucker Carlson And Ted Cruz Get Into Shouting Match Over Iran In Bonkers Interview Clip

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz—a harsh Donald Trump critic-turned-MAGA minion—sat down with fired Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for the conservative influencer's self-produced online content,The Tucker Carlson Show, for the Tucker Carlson Network.

On Tuesday, Carlson shared a 1.5-minute clip revealing that things got contentious when the pair touched on the Trump administration's escalating tensions with Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Barack Obama
Suzanne Plunkett-Pool/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Resurfaced Trump Tweet Criticizing Obama Over Iran Comes Back To Bite Him

Amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump was criticized for hypocrisy after social media users resurfaced a 2013 tweet in which he accused former President Barack Obama of planning an attack on Iran because of his "inability to negotiate properly."

Trump has declined to clarify whether the U.S. is edging closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a warning from Iran’s supreme leader against any attack and a rejection of Trump’s demand for surrender.

Keep ReadingShow less