A BADGER cub on a nature reserve that spent much of its life entangled in plastic waste is believed to have died.

The young male, nicknamed 'Ruff' because of the plastic collar around its neck, lived at an Oxfordshire reserve managed by the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT).

WATCH: Footage shows badger cub entangled in plastic waste

Staff and volunteers spent weeks trying to catch the youngster to remove the plastic, but were unsuccessful. Now they have highlighted the case in an appeal urging people not to litter anywhere, especially at nature reserves.

Julia Lofthouse, BBOWT’s mammal projects manager, said: “This is such a heartbreaking case. Badgers are already under threat in our area from culling, and BBOWT is running a widescale vaccination program to protect them from bovine tuberculosis (TB).

“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.”

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on news@nqo.com or 01865 425 445.