Meet Bernard the orphaned baby badger.

The tiny four-week-old cub has been looked after at Kent Wildlife Rescue Service on Sheppey after it was found wandering along the side of a road in Dover.

Video: Hear Bernard as he is combed for parasites

Lorraine St John, who runs the charity from her home in Sheerness, said: "This little guy came in cold, hungry and covered in parasites. One of our volunteers named him Bernard. He was so cold his temperature didn't even register on our thermometer."

She added: "A couple were driving in their car when the wife spotted him out of the corner of her eye and told her husband to stop. If he hadn't, Bernard would probably have been run over."

She said the pair looked for other badgers then called her when they drew a blank. She said: "When we reached him this tiny, tiny cub was cold, shivering and emaciated. He was very, very skinny. He may have been trying to survive on his own after his mother was killed. There were no other cubs. He must have wandered off on his own."

Lorraine said there was no known underground badger sett in the area he could be returned to. Back home, she discovered her new house guest was riddled with mites.

She said: "He was covered from head to toe. It was as if he had stumbled into a nest. Even after combing and washing, his body was still covered in bite marks. We normally expect a few fleas but nothing like this."

She admitted: "We also had a job to feed him. At first he wouldn't even take a bottle so we had to use a syringe."

A vet also discovered Bernard had a chest infection and prescribed antibiotics.

Bernard was rescued on Sunday, April 25, but today he was re-homed at Folly Wildlife Rescue's animal hospital in Tunbridge Wells which has many other badgers and an artificial sett.

Lorraine said: "Badgers are very social creatures and enjoy rough and tumble games with each other. We had some wonderful cuddles with Bernard but it would have been wrong to have kept him here on his own. This way, he can make new friends."

To donate to Kent Wildlife Rescue Service visit click here. Cheques can be sent to Kent Wildlife Rescue Services at 106, Victoria Street, Sheerness, ME12 1YF

To read more about Kent’s furry, flying and finned friends, click here.

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