Baby badger introduced to orphaned boy badger in Norfolk

A baby badger which was found "frozen solid" in a wood has been introduced to her new "adopted brother".

The orphan was found by a dog walker in Lincolnshire in February and kept warm in a jacket until the RSPCA arrived.

She has since been cared for and hand-reared at the charity's East Winch Wildlife Centre in Norfolk.

The RSPCA said it was important for badgers to grow up together and they found another orphan at a centre near Hailsham in East Sussex.

When the dog walker initially spotted the cub, in woodland near Market Rasen on 13 February, she thought it was dead.

But when she saw its paw move, she kept it warm and called the animal charity, who took it to their wildlife hospital near King's Lynn.

Staff have been hand-rearing it and earlier this month said the cub was doing well and gaining weight.

They managed to find another orphaned badger of a similar age at East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and the pair have been introduced.

Staff named the female Bertha and the male has been named Bartholomew.

Posting on social media, staff at East Winch wrote: "Our badger cub has a new adopted brother.

"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 we are going through lots of powder milk."

According to the RSPCA, badger cubs are usually born from the beginning of February to late April and stay below ground and do not emerge from their sett until they are eight to 10 weeks old.

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