Beryl the hedgehog on the mend after being shot in the head and having two legs broken
Sporting a bandage and still looking a little worse for wear, brave Beryl the hedgehog looks like she's finally on the road to recovery.
The tiny female hedgehog has amazed vets by somehow overcoming the shocking injuries inflicted on her just weeks ago in Northwood, Middlesex.
Beryl was cruelly shot in the head with an air rifle and kicked by heartless yobs.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Getting better: Beryl puts a brave face on her shocking injuries after being shot in the head with an air rifle
The adorable creature was left with an air rifle pellet embedded in her jaw and also suffered two broken legs.
She was found stumbling around Northwood a few weeks ago and was immediately rushed to nearby St Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital, Bucks, for emergency treatment.
Beryl was put in intensive care and had both her ankles plastered.
She will need physiotherapy and hydrotherapy and may need surgery on a knee fracture.
Horrific: An x-ray shows the air rifle pellet lodged in Beryl's jaw, as well as both of her broken back legs
Les Stocker, founder of St Tiggywinkles said: "Everyone at Tiggys is appalled that some imbecile would shoot a hedgehog in the head and then kick it.
'Unfortunately it's too dangerous to remove the pellet from her jaw.
'It doesn't seem to have affected her eating as she's been eating like a horse since arriving here.
'She a little trooper and everyone here dotes over her. I'm sure she'll make a full recovery.'
Thu Feb 02, 2012 4:38 pm