Keepers at Chester Zoo have stepped in to help feed the UK’s only baby aardvark, after its mother stopped producing enough milk.

The new arrival has been nicknamed Womble, due to its resemblance to the characters in a much-loved British children’s book series and TV show.

Womble is the second to ever be born at the zoo in its 94-year history, the zoo said.

Keeper Sophie Tyson, who has bottle-fed the calf every few hours throughout the night for several weeks, has called Womble a “really special addition for us all.”

“Aardvarks spend their days sleeping and are most active at night, so while mum Oni heads off to forage for food, we’ve been giving the calf some extra support to help it grow stronger,” she said. “For the first few weeks, we placed the youngster into a cosy incubator each evening and it was bottle-fed warm milk every few hours throughout the night before being carefully reunited back with mum each morning.”

Credit: Chester Zoo via Storyful