A wildlife rescue charity is warning vets not to undertake limb amputations on injured hedgehogs.
The advice has been issued by the Wildlife Aid Foundation (WAF) after staff discovered a vet had undertaken a procedure with the aim of helping an injured animal.
Painful death
WAF has warned that amputation – however well meaning – is likely to lead to a slow and painful death once the animal is released back to the wild.
The Surrey-based charity advises limbs either be repaired or, if this is not possible, the most humane course of action is to euthanise the injured animal to prevent further suffering.
Euthanise
WAF founder Simon Cowell said: “Hedgehogs are susceptible to limb injury.
“Vets may believe they are doing the right thing by amputating broken and damaged limbs because hedgehogs are hardy enough to survive such procedures, but once the animal is back in the wild it needs to be able to dig for food, and scratch and groom effectively.
“Hedgehogs pick up a lot if ticks and lice, and over the years we have seen many cases where hedgehogs with missing and injured limbs get completely infested. The bites become infected and they die very slow and painful deaths.
“As hedgehogs released back into the wild after amputation are likely to suffer and unlikely to survive, the kindest course of action, if a limb cannot be saved, is to euthanise.”
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