Vets give urgent care to injured baby hedgehog that teens 'kicked and used as a football'

A veterinary clinic in Bamber Bridge hsve described how they urgently cared for a baby hedgehog after teenagers had reportedly been 'kicking it around' and 'using it as a football'.

Withy Grove Vets in Bamber Bridge took to social media to confirm the horrific news.

The clinic confirmed that a distressed mother and son had brought the baby hedgehog in after taking it off a group of teenagers 'using it as a football'.

Distressingly, the vets have confirmed that the hedgehog had died but were clear to point out it was not as a direct result of its injuries.

Veterinary nursing assistant Rebecca Clarke said the hedgehog had been brought into the clinic on October 20 and was rushed into urgent care.

"The young hedgehog was brought it in by a lady and her son, they had taken it away from a group of teenagers who they had seen throwing it and kicking it around.

"I immediately rushed it inside to a vet but sadly it is no longer with us. It was clear the hedgehog was already very poorly and it did not actually die as a result of its injuries.

"It was extremely cold and dehydrated, and was clearly unwell already, which is probably why the teenagers were able to get hold of it so easily, especially in the daylight because hedgehogs don't usually come out until its dark.

"We put the post out because we wanted to make the community aware and to keep their eyes peeled to prevent anything like this being able to happen again - it is disgusting."