Young Shropshire friends rescue hedgehog from cattle grid

Misia Pilch, 12, was out walking with friends in Clun when they spotted the animal.

With no ramp to escape, the hedgehog had faced at least 12 hours with no food or shelter.

Joined by friend Georgia Clarke, the pair lifted him from danger and took him to the local cottage ‘hogspital' for a check-up after his ordeal.

After 48 hours on a heat pad, Griddy, as he is now called, was eating well and putting on much-needed weight.

In the meantime, local craftsmen have made not only a ramp for the cattle grid to ensure this never happens again, but also a hedgehog house for him to use in the area if he so wishes.

Griddy has made a full recovery and has been released back into the wild.

The State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2022 report revealed hedgehogs have declined by between 30 and 70 per cent across different areas of the countryside since 2000.

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society, based near Ludlow, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, having been founded after this precise problem was discovered by Major Adrian Coles.

After rescuing a hedgehog from a cattle grid in his home, Major Coles set about using his position as a county councillor to convince Shropshire Council to ensure there were ramps installed in all their cattle grids.

The organisation is asking the public to check cattle grids daily or, better still, fit a ramp in them.

Fay Vass, CEO of The British Hedgehog Preservation Society said rural hedgehogs are at great risk: “Greater awareness, and individual and community actions, such as making gardens more hedgehog friendly, may be starting to help urban hedgehogs.

"However, urgent action is needed to understand why rural areas are no longer suitable for hedgehogs, and how conservationists, farmers and land managers can work together to prevent hedgehogs from becoming extinct in the countryside.”

For more tips on helping hedgehogs see britishhedgehogs.org.uk.