She thought it was a hedgehog, but the truth turned out to be completely different.
A woman in England thought she found an injured baby hedgehog and took it under protection. She got the shock of her life when she went to the vet the next day.
A British animal lover claims he found what he believed to be an injured baby hedgehog on the pavement and “spent a night looking after it”, although it was slightly lighter and fluffier than the spiny creature.
The next morning he meticulously transported what he thought was a motionless mammal to Lower Moss Wood Nature Conservancy and Wildlife Hospital in Knutsford, Cheshire, and even placed a small plate of food with it.
But when veterinarian Janet Kotze opened the box, she realized the ‘hedgehog’ was actually a beanie pompom. Ms Kotze said she ‘couldn’t believe what she saw’ when she made the discovery. The woman, who was embarrassed when she revealed the news to the savior, said, ‘You’re joking.’ he was able to say.
The animal lover then left the animal hospital with the box in his hand.
Vet Mrs Kotze said: ‘This was the first confession of the day. The lady came in with a box, said she found this baby hedgehog on the sidewalk, it was cold, and took it. I panicked because it was too early for baby hedgehogs. I opened the box and couldn’t believe what I saw. “It’s definitely not a hedgehog, maybe it’s some other type of furry creature,” I thought.
I noticed there was no movement so I picked it up and honestly with its weight I could feel that it wasn’t a hedgehog or any animal.
Afterwards I found it funny but I couldn’t believe what I saw because to me a hedgehog is clearly a hedgehog. I don’t think he’ll make the same mistake again, I think he’ll check next time.’
Ms Kotze added that if people see hedgehogs outdoors during the day, it is a sign they are distressed and they should take them to rescue.
Janet said:
‘It’s a golden rule that hedgehogs, especially little ones like him, shouldn’t be out in the daytime, but he – leaving aside the fact that he’s not a hedgehog – did absolutely the right thing. If they’re spotted out in the open mostly during the day, there’s definitely a problem and they need to be rescued.’