Lots of g-love for lucky little hoglets

Three baby hedgehogs found themselves in a prickly situation when they were abandoned in a skip in Stalmine.

But thanks to dedicated volunteers at Longview Animal Centre, they are now recovering in the laps of luxury at a special ‘hedgehog hospital’.

The lucky hoglets were rushed into the animal centre on Old Tom’s Lane on Monday afternoon by two concerned young girls and their grandma, who found them freezing cold and covered in dirt inside a waste skip.

Hannah Kirrane, manager at Longview Animal Centre, said: “I was the first one to hold them and they were absolutely freezing. How they weren’t dead already was beyond me.

“We immediately filled up some rubber gloves with warm water and put them on top and they started moving around straight away.

“I would say they are no more than a week old. Their eyes are still closed and their spikes are still soft. They were very lucky to survive.”

After a bit of much-needed TLC from Longview staff, the tiny hoglets were taken to Wolfwood Animal Rescue Service in Lancaster, which specialises in caring for wild creatures.

Hannah said: “The first few days are critical for baby animals. There’s quite a high chance that they could all make it.

“I’ve got a real soft spot for hedgehogs and it was quite interesting for the staff to see them so young. All the staff pulled together to help them, it was a good team effort.

“I have no idea how they ended up inside a skip. I can’t imagine a mother hedgehog climbing into a skip to give birth.

“It’s more likely they’ve been thrown in there, or accidentally been swept up and dumped by someone cleaning their garden.

“They’re so small, it would be easy to miss them. They’re three very lucky hedgehogs.”