A hedgehog had to be rescued this week after being found covered in blue paint in a garden – and you would be forgiven for mistaking it for Sonic.
The RSPCA was called by a member of the public on Friday after they discovered the unusually coloured critter in their garden in Taunton, in Somerset.
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Animal collection officer (ACO) Clara Scully said: Thankfully she was still alive and is now getting the help she needs.
Were unsure what happened to her, whether she was painted intentionally, or if she fell into the paint somehow.
The hedgehog who has been named Sonic, after the blue character in the video game, is currently being treated by the team at RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife Centre.
Employees have been carefully removing the blue paint from her spikes day by day.
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The animal welfare charity is now urging people to make sure they store all paint, chemicals and pesticides securely and out of the reach of animals and children.
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Dr Bel Deering, centre manager at RSPCA West Hatch, said: Sonic has been eating well and is getting stronger.
She had to be anaesthetised to have the substance removed and there is still a blue tinge on the spines.
The substance was very rubbery and hard to remove.
It was quite caustic and so where it touched the skin there are some sore patches that will need to be monitored.
Sonic is just one of a number of hedgehogs cared for by the RSPCA at the charitys specialist wildlife centres.
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While the teams have recently released hundreds of hedgehogs who had come in weak and underweight in autumn and winter, they are now preparing for an influx of prickly casualties as hedgehogs start to become more active in the warmer weather.
Llewelyn Lowen, scientific information officer at the RSPCA, said: Unfortunately, the injuries and deaths we see are often caused by everyday garden items like strimmers, sports netting and pond or fruit netting.
Even simple gardening activities such as forking over a compost heap can have deadly consequences for these little creatures.
With a little caution, these kinds of horrific injuries are completely avoidable.
We urge the public to become more hedgehog aware.
Simple things like checking before you start strimming or using your garden fork, remembering to put sports netting away when its not in use and keeping drains covered can really make a difference and help protect the welfare of these iconic creatures.
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