A badger found clinging onto a tyre floating on water in Bristol Harbour has been rescued by a duo of wildlife rescuers from near Burnham-On-Sea.
The animal fell into the harbour near the SS Great Britain ship in the early hours of Thursday morning (March 25th).
It may have been struggling to stay afloat for several hours and had dragged itself close to the ropes when it was found, says Secret World Wildlife Rescue.
Charity founder Pauline Kidner said: “It was heart wrenching to see him swimming and crying at the same time.”
She was doing night feeds for a baby stoat, leveret and badger cub when she received the rescue call at 1.30am.
Despite being an hour away, she and her son, Simon Kidner, travelled from East Huntspill to Bristol Harbour and tried to catch the badger with a net.
“It was still very lively despite the cold water and the freezing temperatures,” says Pauline.
“The badger was very vocal with the effort of swimming and there was a fear that if it went quiet, that it would have finally gone under the water.”
She said eventually the badger placed itself between the harbour wall and a barge and Simon was able to catch it using a grasper, with the help of a man called Ben, who had raised the alarm about the badger’s predicament.
The wet and exhausted creature was then taken back to Secret World in East Huntspill and, after sleep and rest, the animal is “much brighter”.
“It is so rewarding to be able to help,” she says.
After a few days recovery the badger will be returned to the area where it was found.
