FIREFIGHTERS from Foleshill had a prickly character to deal with when they rescued a hedgehog which had fallen down a water main.
The Green Watch crew assisted RSPCA officers to help the stricken creature out of its predicament.
When the hedgehog emerged, it was deemed fit and well – just a little bit hungry.
The crew – posting on Twitter – said: “No two days in the fire service are ever the same!”
Back in 2016, the hedgehog was voted ‘the nation’s favourite creature’ but their numbers have been in decline for the last few years.
In 2018, The Mammal Society estimated the UK’s hedgehog population to be around 879,000 but. in 2022, the figure was put around 200,000 to 250,000 – according to a formula using data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Defra, and a density consensus from several studies.
Visit hedgehogstreet.org for more on the nation’s hedgehogs and what can be done to safeguard the creatures’ future.
