Bertha the orphaned badger cub has new brother!

At the beginning of March, the RSPCA reported that the orphaned badger cub was found by a member of the public was out walking her dog in Chambers Farm Woods, near Wragby, when she was just days old.

The dog walker kept her warm and safe tucked inside her jacket before she was taken to the East Winch Wildlife Centre in Norfolk, where Bertha was fed with formula milk round the clock in a bid to give her a fighting chance.

Now weeks later she weighs over one kilo, and now has a new brother – Bartholomew – who came from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS).

The two have been paired up because it is important for them to keep their wild instincts through imprinting on each other and learning to be badgers together.

Evangelos Achilleos, Wildlife Centre manager, said: “Our badger cub has a new adopted brother! This badger cub came from East Sussex WRAS where he was found orphaned.

“The two have been introduced and are being very vocal and feeding well. Working together with other rehab centres is fundamental to be able to rear orphan wildlife together.

“They are still very young and very delicate, and hope they will grow well, but it is still early days. We are going through lots of Royal Canin powdered milk, so if anyone is able to donate any to us via our Amazon wish list [available here] we would be extremely grateful!”

The badger cubs will remain together at the centre for a number of months until they are old enough to be released back to the wild, firstly in a soft release site.

Badger cubs are typically born from the beginning of February to late April. Cubs stay below ground and emerge from their sett at around eight to ten weeks old.

However, they may continue to be dependent on their mother for some time afterwards. More information about what to do if you find a badger cub is available here

If you find a dead badger, please report it to the Badger Trust, as it may be a lactating sow who could have cubs nearby depending on her.