[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Meet newborn hedgehog Honey – who is in safe hands despite being forced to live without her mum after a brush with death. The two-day old creature was taken in by Withington Hedgehog Hospital Trust when her mum was injured by a lawnmower. She is now being nursed back to health alongside 22 others left injured by unwitting gardeners. In the last two weeks the trust has seen a surge in new admissions thanks to strimming accidents including several amputees.
Owner Barbara Roberts has now issued a plea to householders tackling their summer lawns. She said: “A lot of us haven’t mowed our lawns because of the weather and people don’t look. “I’ve got 23 babies that are all here because of people not looking. I want people to be aware because they are an endangered animal. By 2025 we might not have hedgehogs any more thanks to the dangers of roads, lawnmowers and pesticides. People must look in the garden.” Some of Barbara’s patients have been rescued after being abandoned by terrified mothers, while 11 of them are amputees.
The trust names each creature that comes in and recent intakes include Willow, Charlotte, Basil, Brad and Roger. All of them, including the amputees, will eventually be released back into the wild. Animal lover Barbara, 60, who opened the hospital in 2001, said none will be released until they have been gradually weaned off human contact. She added: “When they roll into a ball on contact we know they are ready to go.”
Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:25 pm
