[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Cassius: Almost 80g of clay removed from hedgehog. Pic: © Scottish SPCA
A young boy was playing outside his home when he spotted the animal struggling in an open drain.
A hedgehog has been found caked in thick clay after being rescued from a trench in Stirlingshire.
A young boy playing outside his Bannockburn home spotted the animal struggling to move in an open drain.
The Scottish SPCA was called in to rescue the animal - nicknamed Cassius Clay - before it was taken to the charity's wildlife rescue centre in Fife.
Inspector Louise Sneddon said: "Cassius was very lucky to be found as he would not have survived much longer in the mud-filled trench.
"This is the first hedgehog incident I've attended this year so it's possible that he had just emerged from hibernation and accidentally fallen into the drain.
"Hedgehogs normally lose some weight and condition after months of hibernating, so he may have been disorientated while foraging for food.
"We bathed Cassius as soon as he got to our centre and we removed almost 80g of mud and clay from his body. The mud caked on his face was making it very difficult for him to breathe properly but he is now slowly showing signs of recovery.
"We hope Cassius will live up to his name and prove himself to be a little fighter as we'd love to return him back to the wild fit and well."
Wed Mar 28, 2012 4:56 pm
