Video: Lady adopts five orphaned baby badgers after their sett flooded
Wildlife rescue worker, Hayley Robinson, has become a full-time foster mum to five orphaned baby badgers, after their mother abandoned the sett when it became flooded.
Back in February, a single badger cub was brought to Cuan Wildlife Rescue in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, after it was sadly found abandoned. It was spotted by a badger rescue group. Just a few days old, Hayley agreed to become a foster mum to the tiny cub, but was unaware that another four cubs would also arrive in her care.
The badgers — named Valentine, Rose, Cupid, Juliette and Casanova — were too small to be left at the rescue centre where Hayley works so she took them all back to her home in Wolverhampton. Unable to open their eyes when they first arrived, she was sterilising and bottle-feeding the cubs every two hours, as well as cleaning out their bedding and helping them go to the toilet.
Speaking about the gorgeous animals, Hayley said: "As cute as they were, it was definitely demanding at first. I was having to take power-naps between feeds! They've grown so much already – but I must say it's nice to get a full night's sleep! I'll probably have them for another four weeks yet, before they can go to live at the rescue centre - so my job is far from over."
In order to spread some joy, Hayley has shared a video of the realities of being a mum to the five baby badgers. "Outside this industry, you'd never normally see them this small, so it's nice to share the experience with people and show the badgers' progress as they grow," she added.
Now around five-weeks-old, the cubs are old enough to sleep through the night without regular feeds. While Hayley has been working hard to care for the badgers, she is preparing them to be released back into the wild this autumn. "Once they've been moved to the rescue centre, they will live there before being released into a safe man-made home in the wild in autumn. Before they are released they'll be tested for and vaccinated against bovine tuberculosis."
We hope the cubs will enjoy their new home later this year!
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