A baby hedgehog who was saved after a gang of evil thugs tried to throw him onto a bonfire has been released back into the wild.
A hero passerby spotted the feral youths stomping two hoglets to death in Wishaw, Lanarkshire, on October 2 last year and swiftly intervened.
The yobs, who had found a litter of hedgehogs, were stopped as they attempted to toss three of the surviving critters into the flames of the nearby blaze.
The three surviving animals were rushed into the care of the Scottish SPCA however one sadly died on route.
A second hog, named Sally, was found to have intestinal problems and she passed away shortly afterwards.
But little Jack thrived in the care of the team at the National Wildlife Rescue Centre at Fishcross, near Alloa, Clackmannanshire.
He was successfully hand-reared and released in November 2021 despite his traumatic start in life.
April Dodds, assistant manager at the centre, said, “This was understandably a very distressing incident for both the hoglets involved and the member of the public who witnessed it.
“We are so grateful to the passer-by for intervening and managing to save three of the hedgehogs. Sadly, two others were stamped to death by the teenagers.
“The three hedgehogs who the member of the public managed to save were taken to our specialist wildlife facility.
"Sadly, one of the hoglets died during the journey but Jack and the other hog named Sally made it to the centre.
“Unfortunately Sally had intestinal problems and she passed away shortly afterwards. However, Jack managed to recover from his ordeal and was successfully hand-reared by wildlife assistant Nicole.
“He continued to thrive in her care and after several weeks was ready to be released.
“It’s always upsetting when an animal comes into our care due to deliberate harm caused by humans but there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing that animal recover and return to the wild where they belong against all odds.”
Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of both Scottish SPCA inspectors and Police Scotland the young people involved could not be identified.
Gilly Mendes Ferreira, Scottish SPCA head of education, policy and research, said, “We know from the work our Animal Guardians programme does with young people at risk of harming, or who have harmed, an animal that children can mistreat animals for a variety of reasons.
“Often this has more to do with not knowing what they are doing is hurtful, or having trouble regulating their emotions and behaviour, rather than from an intent to cause harm.
“Many people don’t always recognise that when a young person shows behaviour towards an animal that is a cause of concern it can also act as an early indicator that something else may be wrong in that young person’s life and specialist support may be required.
“We hope that the young people involved in this incident speak to an appropriate adult who can give them the support they need and we would encourage any adult who is aware to refer them to our Animal Guardians programme if required for further support.”
If anyone finds an animal in distress they should call the Scottish SPCA animal helpline on 03000 999 999.
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