Two Hedgehogs Stolen

Kathy holding one of WRAS's overwintered hedgehogs
Kathy holding one of WRAS's overwintered hedgehogs

A animal charity is worried about the welfare of two rescued hedgehogs which have been stolen from an enclosure in Uckfield, East Sussex.

East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) has discovered two of their over wintered hedgehogs have been stolen from one of their pens in Uckfield and have reported the incident to Sussex Police.

WRAS has been looking after 95 hedgehogs this winter and is in the process of returning them all to their home ranges, but discovered two of them missing.  “We believe they will have been taken at some point between 8pm Friday 17th April and 11am Saturday 18th April. The pens and hedgehogs are checked twice a day and these were about to be put into carriers and returned to our Casualty Centre so they could be taken out for release” said WRAS Hedgehog Co-ordinator Kathy Martyn.

Kathy Martyn showing Mila and Clementine an over wintered hedgehog at one of WRAS's pens
Kathy Martyn showing Mila and Clementine an over wintered hedgehog at one of WRAS's pens

The two hedgehogs are microchipped and can be identified and the charity is appealing for the hedgehogs to be returned, as wild hedgehogs do not make good pets, and struggle to survive if released into an area which does not already have hedgehogs.

Charity Founder Trevor Weeks MBE said “Our volunteers have worked so hard this winter looking after these hedgehogs and it feels like a kick in the teeth that someone has taken them and wasted all our hard work and we obviously don’t want them to end up suffering. This is the first time we have had anything like this happen in the 30 years which I have doing rescue work. I am more concerned that the hedgehogs are returned, so we can rehabilitate them back to the wild safely. So would appeal to those responsible to contact us and arrange to leave them somewhere we can find or collect them.”

East Sussex WRAS is an award winning charity, and works tirelessly to help the wildlife of Sussex. Hedgehog numbers are declining. “Wild animals belong in the wild where they can roam free, not being kept as pets or released into gardens they can’t get out of.  Despite what people believe hedgehogs don’t eat that many slugs and snails and are not effective at controlling them either.  It keeps going through our minds, why someone would do this. It just doesn’t make sense. There is no way they could have escaped, and the doors were shut.” added Kathy.

The two hedgehogs which have gone missing are:

“Swimmer” – Female Hedgehog admitted into WRAS’s Care on 2nd October 2014.  Found fallen into swimming pool in Upper Dicker weighing 368grams.

This hedgehog was very chesty as a result of taking in water, and needed closed observation, a diuretic, antibiotics and worming.

“Cherry” – Female Hedgehog admitted into WRAS’s Care on 2nd November 2014. Found out during the day time in a garden in Heathfield weighing 290grams.

This hedgehog was found out in the day time in the middle of a garden, with no obvious injuries, but way too small to survive hibernation. Had to be treated for Lungworm and roundworm burdens.

Both hedgehogs now weigh around 850g

The charity is now putting padlocks on all its pens and enclosures at various sites across the county.

Anyone with any information should contact Sussex Police on 101 quoting crime reference number 47150047796.

-END-

Press Contacts:

Trevor Weeks – 01825-873003(office hours) or 07931523958(out of hours)

PHOTOS: Property of East Sussex WRAS.

 

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2 thoughts on “Two Hedgehogs Stolen

    1. East Sussex WRAS

      Post author

      Sadly no news. The Police say some rabbits went missing from a garden close by the same night.

      Reply

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