Badger tangled up in plastic presumed dead in Oxfordshire

Footage has been released of a badger cub thought to have died after becoming entangled in plastic.

The cub was nicknamed Ruff by Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) staff because of the way the plastic looked like a collar around his neck.

Workers at an Oxfordshire reserve spent weeks trying to catch the cub to remove the plastic without luck.

BBOWT mammal projects manager Julia Lofthouse called it "such a heart-breaking case".

She added: "Although we don't have any evidence that litter caused Ruff's death, it can't have made life easy.

"He was from a healthy family living on a protected nature reserve, so it was all the more tragic to see him suffering like that. This case goes to show exactly what damage litter can do."

The trust warned that the countryside was becoming a "dumping ground" for litter after a large increase in visitors due to coronavirus restrictions.

Attempts to capture and disentangle Ruff failed

Ruff was first spotted on camera in April in a sett that included a sow and six 10-week-old cubs.

Staff subsequently attempted to entice the beleaguered cub out into the open with food. Later in the month he was seen on camera eating the peanuts, but was not caught.

Attempts to capture Ruff on five other occasions also failed.

BBOWT hoped bringing forward its planned badger vaccinations to mid-May would provide a chance to catch the cub in one of its traps.

However, by then camera footage indicated that only two of the cubs were still alive, with Ruff nowhere to be seen and presumed dead.

Estelle Bailey, chief executive of BBOWT, said: "People don't always realise the devastating effect littering has on the natural environment, but this tragic case shows exactly how it can harm our precious wildlife."