There is only one species of badger in existence in Ireland, the Eurasian badger (Meles meles). This differs somewhat in appearance from the American badger. However, in the days of yore, countryfolk in Ireland believed there were two separate kinds - the pork badger and the dog badger. It was believed the former was vegetarian and the latter not so. Indeed, it was suspected that the dog badger sometimes dug up human graves and devoured their contents.
The Irish used to eat the pork badger and the question that arises is how they distinguished between the two supposed varieties, as both belonged to the same species. I suspect the distinction must have been imaginary. Still, I have not come on an actual case of a badger devouring a human corpse - yet.
 |
| Eurasian badger |
No comments:
Post a Comment