A generous helping of peanut butter is being used to guide badgers through special gates in a fence surrounding a new woodland of 50,000 native trees planted in 100 acres near Edinburgh.

The animals can be stubborn creatures and tend to follow established trails, so a little of their favoured food has been smeared on the new gates to encourage them to come through into Scotland’s First World War Centenary Wood in the Pentland Hills.

The Woodland Trust has designed the barrier to stop hares and rabbits damaging new plantations of trees, but without the tasty treat they fear the badgers will undermine the gate’s foundations by burrowing beneath it.

Site manager Russell Jobson said: “We need to maintain the fence to stop animals such as hares and rabbits damaging young trees, and the gates stop badgers from undermining it.

“The gates are specially designed for badgers to push through instead of digging under the fence wire. They are quite stubborn creatures and can take a while to adjust.”

More than 50,000 native trees will be planted over 100 acres, connecting existing woodland and proving new habitat for wildlife.