Horsham hedgehog stuck in bird feeder among RSPCA's top rescues of 2020
The creature found itself in a prickle back in April
The rescue of a hedgehog got himself into a 'prickly' situation in Horsham has been named among the RSPCA's most memorable calls of 2020.
The creature was discovered in a garden in Pondtail Road on April 10th after crawling inside a discarded metal bird feeder for a snack and getting stuck.
It's now made a list of the top 20 incidents attended by the Southwater-based animal rescue charity over the last 12 months.
RSPCA inspector Tony Woodley was called out to free the creature:
“The poor little hog had pushed his way right into the middle of a long, metal-wire feeder and found himself stuck in the narrow tube, his spines wedging him in.
“The caller had spotted him that morning but wasn’t sure how long he’d been there for.
“Thankfully, I managed to cut the wire, remove a section of the feeder and peel it back so I could carefully free the hedgehog. I checked him over any injuries but was pleased that he didn’t seem too worse for wear.”
Tony decided to release the hedgehog in situ so he could make his way back to his home.
He urged people to keep an eye on all wildlife feeders in their gardens to make sure animals and birds do not get stuck or injured.
Among the RSPCA's other memorable moments of 2020 were:
- A four-hour missing to save a lamb who fell through a broken manhole cover and got stuck in an underground pipe in Durham
- Helping a fox cub who'd got a watering can stuck on his head in Kent
- Discovering a lost billy goat at a bus stop in Bradford
- Freeing a tawny owl which got stuck in a fireplace in Oxfordshire.
You can find the full list of 20 on the RSPCA website.