Young badger trapped and dumped on Somerset roadside

Credit: RSPCA

The RSPCA is appealing for information after a young badger was dumped in a trap on a roadside in Midsomer Norton, Somerset.

A member of the public discovered the distressed badger inside the trap on the road bridge at Steam Mills at around 7.30am on Saturday 6 June.

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The badger was dumped on this road bridge at Steam Mills. Credit: RSPCA

The RSPCA say it is a "mystery where this badger came from, or how he came to be left on the bridge in the trap so we’re really interested to hear from anyone who may be able to help our investigation."

It added: "He’s a small juvenile badger and the trap he was in was smaller than a cat trap which had been just left on the pavement on the bridge."

The trap was Credit: RSPCA

The animal welfare charity confirmed that the badger was very distressed, but uninjured, and is now recovering alongside other young badgers at the West Hatch Wildlife Centre and will eventually be released back to the wild.

Under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, it is an offence (except under licence) to wilfully kill, injure or take a badger or to attempt to do so, or to cruelly ill-treat a badger.