The drinking pond was provided by a local group who protect over 300 setts in the area.Thirsty badgers enjoy a drink at water station
A group of thirsty Lanarkshire badgers have been filmed enjoying a late-night drink after a local wildlife group set up a hydration station for the creatures.
The badgers are part of a group who have seen much of their habitat lost to developments, with two of three setts believed to have been destroyed in recent years.
Campaigners with Motherwell District Wildlife Protection group are currently working to convince North Lanarkshire Council to provide a small plot of nearby land for a new sett to be built.
Until then the group are working to help the existing badger sett – and have been taking measures to help them cope with the soaring temperatures.
As Scotland recorded its hottest June day on record, they set up a drinking station – and some cameras to check whether the badgers used it.
And they posted on Facebook that the water had been “very popular”, and would be kept topped up over the course of the heatwave.
The group started 12 years ago and works to get wildlife warning signs on local roads and to protect and observe wild animals across Lanarkshire. They also work with politicians and developers to help ensure building sites carry out the proper wildlife surveys and mitigation measures.
A spokesperson for the group said: “We look after well over 300 badger setts, we check setts every day, and we also have cameras on roughly 100 setts.
“In times of adverse weather, we give wildlife an extra helping hand in any way we can, for example the last dry spell we spent 100s of pounds on water and bowls which we placed all over Lanarkshire.
“Wildlife is losing habitat at an alarming rate, there is nothing we can do to prevent this but we can try and provide shelter for those most affected.”
The group are currently also working to get 50 hedgehog boxes in place by the end of the summer so they can get ready for hibernation.
Anyone wanting to help the group with their work can find out more here.