I mean, snakes are sly/slithery, ravens are clever, lions are brave, and.... badgers. What's a badger?
Fierce and tenacious. Seriously, that's my first association. Which isn't much with the cuddly, true. But even if you miss the "fierce" part, don't you think of the expression "to badger someone," as in to just keep at them until they give in?
I think they're more recognized in England, though. They're definitely around there! The first night we stayed in Glastonbury at Chalice Well, they warned us to be careful of badgers if we went out into the gardens at night.