RSPCA warns of upcoming surge in hedgehogs needing rescue
HUNDREDS of hedgehogs are expected to be rescued in Hampshire alone over the coming months.
Statistics released by the RSPCA as part of Hedgehog Awareness Week reveal that 307 of the animals were treated across the county by the charity last year.
Now, the RSPCA is bracing itself for an influx of the spiny mammals over the next few weeks.
RSPCA scientific officer Evie Button said: ‘Breeding season is the start of a really busy time for us.
‘We’ll have lots of calls about baby birds, orphaned fox cubs and hedgehogs which have come out of hibernation and need help to build up their body weight.
‘It’s Hedgehog Awareness Week which is very appropriate as these much-loved prickly creatures are the most frequent visitor to our wildlife centres.’
Since lockdown began, the RSPCA says it has responded to 10,817 incidents about wildlife – 540 of which have been about the prickly nocturnal creatures.