Woman spends whole night caring for sick 'baby hedgehog' – then discovers truth – Daily Star
The woman was left red-faced after she spent the night caring for what she thought was a “baby hedgehog” – only to discover all was not as it seems as she took it to a wildlife hospital
Never miss any of the fun stuff. Get the biggest stories and wackiest takes from the Daily Star, including our special WTF Wednesday email
We have more newsletters
Never miss any of the fun stuff. Get the biggest stories and wackiest takes from the Daily Star, including our special WTF Wednesday email
We have more newsletters
A woman who loves animals spent all night caring for a sick 'baby hedgehog', only to find out the truth in the morning.
She thought she had found a baby hedgehog, also known as a hoglet, on the pavement and took it home to help it get better. But when the little creature didn't seem to be getting better by morning, she quickly took it to a wildlife hospital.
She was shocked when Janet Kotze, the hospital manager, told her some surprising news – she hadn't saved a baby hedgehog at all. The fluffy ball she had been caring for was actually the bobble from the top of a woolly hat.
Janet works at Lower Moss Wood Nature Reserve and Wildlife Hospital, in Knutsford, Cheshire. She said the woman came in on Thursday morning with a cardboard box under her arm.
READ MORE: O2 will give you a free Sony 4k TV worth £499 when you buy a new phone
She told Janet she had spent the night trying to get the 'baby mammal' to eat from a small dish of food, reports the Mirror. The vet took the box to check on the 'animal'. But when she opened the lid, she was surprised to see that the thing inside wasn't an animal at all.
After Janet told her the news, the woman couldn't believe it. She said "you're joking", before leaving with the box, and the bobble, under her arm. Janet shared her story: "It was the first admission of the day. The lady came in with a box, she said she had found this baby hedgehog on the pavement and it was cold and she picked it up. I was alarmed as it's very early for baby hedgehogs so I was a bit concerned. I took the box from her and took it through to triage, which is a separate room."
"I opened the box and, well, I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. I thought 'It's definitely not a hedgehog, perhaps it's some other kind of fluffy creature'. I realised it wasn't animated at all and I picked it up and obviously with the weight I could feel that it wasn't a hedgehog or any animal at all."
"I put it back in the box and came out and said to the lady 'It's actually a bobble off a bobble hat'. She was very embarrassed, she said 'you're joking'. She was very sweet, bless her, her heart was in the right place. She took the box from me and left quite quickly.
"I found it funny afterwards but I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing because to me a hedgehog is obviously a hedgehog. I would have immediately known from the weight – a bobble weighs nothing but bless her heart was in the right place. I don't think she'll make the same mistake again, I think she'll check next time."
Janet, an animal rescuer, shared a vital tip for anyone who might come across a hedgehog. She said: "It's a golden rule that hedgehogs shouldn't be out in the daytime, especially little ones like that, but she did absolutely the right thing – aside from the fact that it wasn't a hedgehog. Mostly if they're found out in the daytime in the open, there's definitely something wrong and they should be taken to rescue."
