TWO badger cubs found bewildered and hungry in a Rowhedge garden have found solace at a rescue home for wild animals.

Roddy Ashworth

TWO badger cubs found bewildered and hungry in a Rowhedge garden have found solace at a rescue home for wild animals.

Bertie and Barnaby, as they have now been named, were looking “very sad and forlorn” when they were discovered, according to Rosie Catford, of Thorrington-based animal charity Wildlives.

The two badgers are thought to be about four or five weeks old and would never normally have been above ground at this time of year, Ms Catford added.

She went on to say that something must have happened to their mother but it was impossible to say what as a search party had yielded no results.

“They were found early in the morning and were absolutely riddled with fleas,” Ms Catford said.

“That is a bad sign, because they probably got them off the mother and generally to be that infested she would probably be very debilitated.

“These two were extremely hungry when they got here. They have eaten puppy food and a milk solution.”

Ms Catford explained that the badgers would be unable to return to the area in which they were found as badgers are extremely territorial and would probably attack them.

She said that instead, she would work with the North east Essex Badger Group to find another rescued badger family in the area.

The animals would then be housed in an artificial sett with an electric fence around it.

The fence would be switched off after several months and, having become used to their new territory, the badgers would be allowed to roam free in the land around their new home.

In the meantime they will remain at Wildlives, where they have recovered well since being found on Sunday.

“They are getting pretty feisty. They are fighting and arguing and swearing at each other,” said Ms Catford.