Prickly situation: Animal rescuers get creative in wild hedgehog rescue

East Sussex, UK - Animal rescuers had to get creative when solving the problem of a hedgehog wedged in a drain pipe.

This poor hedgehog got itself wedged in a drain pipe.
This poor hedgehog got itself wedged in a drain pipe.  © Screenshot/Facebook/East Sussex WRAS

How do you haul a hedgehog out of a drain pipe? According to a post from East Sussex animal welfare organization WRAS, you use BBQ thongs and some string.

WRAS explained the strange situation on Facebook, saying that the creature had crawled into the pipe before curling up and getting itself stuck.

The critter needed some human help to get out of its prickly situation.

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Nathan, the rescuer on the scene, got creative and worked with homeowners to put together a plan using some rather unusual instruments.

"The successful tools included BBQ tongs that had had a bit of DIY enabling them to slide down either side with some string attached, to then be pushed down beneath the hedgehog and then be used to lift from beneath. Which worked really well to lift the hedgehog free," WRAS explained in their post.

Once this spiky critter warmed up, it showed its adorable face at last!
Once this spiky critter warmed up, it showed its adorable face at last!  © Screenshot/Facebook/East Sussex WRAS

The hedgehog was very cold but uninjured

The little critter was "very wet and cold on arrival" and "understandably not keen to uncurl," the animal rescuers reported. They added that after 24 hours in the incubator, she warmed up, showed her face, and started running around.

The hedgehog got checked out and was luckily declared uninjured! Another 24 hours later, rescuers let the released the animal back into the wild.

The drain pipe that the hedgehog was trapped in now has a cover to prevent any more animal clogs in the future!

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshots/Facebook/East Sussex WRAS

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