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We need your support to help save hedgehogs from cruelty and unnecessary injuries.
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There were over 18,000 animals admitted to our wildlife centres in 2018, of which more than 2,000 were hedgehogs. Be the hero that hedgehogs need and help us rescue, rehabilitate and release thousands more by donating now.

The period from January to October 2019 saw a five-year high for admissions, a 22 percent increase from 2018. Hedgehogs' lives are full of obstacles and even when they think they've found a home, they can be in great danger. During autumn and winter, for us it's just a bonfire or a pile of leaves, but for hedgehogs it may have become their home. As you'll see below, there are also cases where hogs suffer terrible abuse and can get injured unnecessarily because of litter. Without your help, hedgehogs will continue to suffer.

Hedgehog kicked like a football

A hedgehog that was seen being kicked like a football by some children was rescued and taken to a vet before being transferred to our West Hatch Wildlife Centre. Thankfully the hedgehog did not suffer any lasting damage from the act of cruelty and, after receiving specialist treatment at our centre, was released back into the wild.

Day old babies rescued

Three one-day old hedgehogs were found in a garden without their mum during the summer. The RSPCA animal collection officer could not find the mother and was concerned she may have come to harm. The babies, whose eyes and ears were still closed, weighed just 21 grams. They were taken to a specialist hedgehog rescue centre and were cared for until they were strong enough to be released back into the wild.

Hedgehog caught in netting

An RSPCA animal collection officer made a difficult rescue after he found a hedgehog who was caught in football netting in a garden. The netting was caught around the hog's leg and body and had to be carefully cut free. The hedgehog was taken to an RSPCA animal centre to be checked and monitored by the vet and was then released back to the area.

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“ I've seen first hand the dedicated work RSPCA fosterers do. They help animals who've been abandoned or treated cruelly to recover and ease them gently into their new caring environments. ”
Jo Brand