By Elli Hodgson via SWNS
An animal lover who ran a “Badger Bistro” in his garden has had to give it up – but is now best friends with a fox instead.
Marcel Payne – known to friends as The Badgerman – began recording badgers living in woodlands behind his home tucking into meals he’d prepared during lockdown.
The 53-year-old hosted animal dinner parties at his home in Bearsted, Kent, with as many as 11 striped guests eating alongside foxes and cats and watched by thousands online.
Since returning to work as a driving instructor after the pandemic, the dad-of-one has had to close his renowned badger restaurant.
But Payne continues to feed the badgers as well as his fox companion Hope, who has been visiting his home for years and is now “part of the family.”
The friendly vixen climbs on the sofas in his home and even shares pork pies with him on her nightly visits in an uncanny bond between man and wild animal.
Hope was even snapped watching England’s Euros opener against Serbia earlier this month – though Payne joked he’s surprised she didn’t ask him to turn it off.
And, to commemorate his love of local wildlife, Payne has even opened a pub in his garden called The Fox and Badger.
On the beginnings of his Badger Bistro, he said: “It felt like I was doing some good.
“I needed to entertain myself during Covid but to see the interest and goodwill from members of the public was amazing.
“It was done just to ease the boredom but it really caught on – it went absolutely mad.
“A lot of people were keeping an eye out for the daily updates, and when I did try to shut it down I had hundreds of messages saying, ‘No, you have to keep it going!’.
“I think a lot of people opened their eyes to wildlife and nature during Covid because they finally had the time.
“Lots of people said they’d never even seen a live badger before – only dead ones – and I had 11 sitting round a table with foxes and cats.
“It was surreal watching them.”
The international community following Payne’s garden – on the Badgers of Bearsted and Beyond Facebook page – exploded during the pandemic with thousands joining the Facebook page and fans dropping food for the badgers off at his home.
One dinner even saw the badgers eating from McDonald’s Happy Meal boxes – though the fast food had been replaced with more badger-appropriate snacks.
However, once he returned to work, Payne was no longer able to dedicate as much time to his hobby.
Coupled with the fact that the animals were ruining his garden with their digging, he decided to close his badger bistro and now feeds his friends outside his back gate.
“Times have changed since Covid,” Payne explained.
“I haven’t got the time to stay up all night and watch what they’re doing.
“I’ve had lots of work done to the garden so the badgers have been banished now – though I still feed them.”
Despite the badgers being relegated to behind his garden fence, another companion is still permitted into his home.
Hope the fox began visiting Payne’s garden each night around four years ago, and the pair now share a strong bond.
“About four years ago I fed her parents when she was a cub and she’s been back every year since – coming and going as she pleases.
“If I was doing work in the garden, she would just follow me around.
“She comes in every night, potters around the house and the garden and then leaves around 10pm.
“She disappears over the winter period, but she’s back again at the start of summer.
“She even popped in to watch the England match the other day – I’m surprised she didn’t ask me to turn it off because it was that bad!”
Payne has even given Hope medication when she’s not been looking too healthy, and the fox also brings her cubs to visit.
Photos of Hope standing on a sofa, shielding from the rain while looking out the window, and sharing a pork pie with Payne demonstrate the pair’s close bond.
The confident fox also eats chicken legs from his hand and isn’t at all scared of him.
Animal lover Payne believes foxes get a bad rap in the UK, with many people criticizing him for feeding them.
“It’s very unusual and not to everyone’s liking for a fox to come inside,” he said.
“They’re a bit like marmite. But from the start, we have shared quite a bond. She’s like a pet dog.
“I’ve fed foxes for years but I’ve never had one like this. Hope is part of the family now.
“I get some negative comments about feeding her, but she’s four years old and looking healthy.
“It’s quite surprising that we’re a nation of dog loveAnimal Lover Shuts Down ‘Badger Bistro’ but Forms Unbreakable Bond with Foxrs and foxes are so similar to dogs, and yet they conjure up all sorts of opinions.”
Although his backyard badger restaurant has now shut up shop, Payne has no plans to stop feeding Hope and other visiting animals – with neighbors even pitching in to feed them when Payne is away.
