Brockwatch

Nick and Margaret were used to seeing badgers in their garden in Spinney Hill, Northampton. But the badgers they were familiar with were much larger, and arrived much later in the day, than the tiny cub who turned up one afternoon in April.

Unable to get through to the RSPCA, Nick and Margaret phoned the Badger Trust for advice. The Trust's Susan Symes contacted Brockwatch. Steve and Howard went to the rescue.

When we arrived, the cub was curled up under a bush. On being picked up the cub was at first defensive, then he started shouting for his mum at the top of his voice (in badger language of course)! Steve estimated that the cub was about 6 weeks old. He should not have been above ground at that age - something must have happened to his mum.

We took the little orphan to the Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital, where Sophie dusted him with flea powder and introduced him to his new living quarters. We found that the cub was very playful and loved being tickled!

Spencer, as we named the Spinney Hill badger, has now moved up to a wildlife rescue centre in Nottinghamshire where he has two female badger cubs to play with. It is important that badger cubs are not reared alone - they need to play and learn how to interact with other badgers.

Later this year when a suitable release site has been found, Spencer and his new family will be returned to the wild. We hope to provide further updates on their progress - watch this space!