Fresh start for rare hedgehog

One of Britain's rarest hedgehogs rescued in the Shropshire countryside has been nursed back to health by RSPCA workers.

The baby, blonde hedgehog was spotted by a member of the public in the Gobowen area near Oswestry in the summer.

With the hedgehog obviously in distress its finder contacted the RSPCA and it was taken to the charity's wildlife centre at Stapeley Grange near Nantwich.

The female, believed to be just a few months old when she was found in July, is not a true albino but instead has a creamy-coloured coat and spines.

"She weighed just 110 grammes or about four ounces when she was brought in to Stapeley Grange, underweight for a typical hedgehog of that age," Dr Andrew Kelly from the centre said.

Since first being admitted to the wildlife centre on July 25 she has tripled her weight and should be ready for release in a few weeks' time when she reaches the optimum release weight of 600grams.

Dr Kelly said: "We receive around 600 hedgehogs a year at Stapeley Grange, often orphaned juveniles, but we've never had a blonde hedgehog before. They're extremely rare so it's a real delight to have one in our care."

She is one of only a few blonde hedgehogs to be found in the UK. They are rare except on the Channel Island of Alderney where they have become common since a pair was released in the 1960s.

Their unusual colouring, caused by a rare recessive gene, means blonde hedgehogs have little change of survival in the wild as their conspicuous coats often prove attractive to predators such as foxes, badgers and dogs.

The Shropshire hedgehog will be released in a specially selected enclosed private garden where she can be fed and monitored. All hedgehogs are partially protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and it is illegal to trap them or kill them without a licence.

They are in danger from traffic, mowing machines and strimmers, pesticides including slug pellets, garden waste heaps or bonfires where many choose to hibernate and garden ponds. Although able to swim, many hedgehogs drown in ponds as they cannot climb out.