I got a message today to pick up a very small hedgehog from a local vets here in Basingstoke.

When picking up from a veterinary surgery the amount of information given about the animal is always lacking unfortunately. All I can tell you about this wee fella was that they had accommodated it over night, they had given him some food and water and no treatment at all.

Nothing around where, exactly when, who or why it was bought into them. Which is a real shame given that hedgehogs are on the red list for endangerment here in the UK.

On dropping the hog off at HART I was told that it was a young male (hence referring to him not it), and that he had a slight case of mange, but his out look was really promising, which means hopefully in a few weeks he will have fattened up and be ready for release and if not, he’ll be looked after over winter and released when appropriate.

Unfortunately as we don’t have much information on him, he probably wont be able to be released back to where he was found, meaning that population will be diminished by 1, and the gene pool restricted that little bit more.

Thank you to the local vets and HART for everything you did/will do (respectively) for this little fella.