Mr Badger said people were starting the clean-up, although many of them would still be out of their homes over Christmas.

BBC: Kempsey community 'pulls together' after floods

They try the extended-arm self-portrait trick but "we always end up with double chins in those photos, " says Mr. Badger.

WSJ: Don't Forget to Pack a Photographer

Dr Cassidy said a rare counter-example exists in Beatrix Potter's Tale of Mr Tod, in which Brock the badger plans to eat Benjamin Bunny's bunnies (bunny-eating is a genuine badger trait, as Potter - a countrywoman - would have known).

BBC: Badgers: Splitting public opinion for more than 200 years

Mr Paice, meanwhile, has recently said badger culling in England may not be possible because the government may not be able to build a scientific case that could survive a legal challenge.

BBC: UK public opposed to badger cull, opinion poll suggests