Badgering male animal protecting animal males (10)

I believe the answer is:

harassment

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'badgering male' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I cannot understand how they can define each other.

'animal protecting animal males' is the wordplay.
'animal' becomes 'hart' (I've seen this before).
'protecting' is an insertion indicator (inserted letters are held or protected).
'animal' becomes 'ass' (term for a donkey).
'males' becomes 'men' (man is a kind of male).
'ass'+'men'='assmen'
'hart' placed around 'assmen' is 'HARASSMENT'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for harassment that I've seen before include "trouble?" , "Persecution" , "Means trash (anag.)" , "Intimidating behaviour" , "Constant intimidation" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.

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