Hedgehog tortured in Holt before being put down by vets

The animal, which was still alive at the time, was found by a passer-by with its legs tied together by blue electrical tape, its spines trimmed short and having been partly spray painted blue on a footpath adjacent to Arkell Avenue in Holt.

The male hedgehog was taken to a vet in Fakenham at around 8pm on Saturday before the RSPCA was contacted. 

The hedgehog was found in Holt on Saturday evening (Image: RSPCA)

It was decided by the vet the best thing to do was to put the animal to sleep due to its condition.

RSPCA inspector Ben Kirby said: “It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the state this poor hedgehog had been left in – with his legs bound together by tape, and his spines trimmed right down.

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“I just cannot believe what this poor hedgehog has been put through; it seems very much like he has been the victim of a premeditated attack. It’s the most callous incident I’ve had to deal with in 16 years as an officer.

“He’d also been sprayed with blue paint – potentially so they’d be able to see him more clearly in the nearby hedgerow after they’d tortured him.

The hedgehog was found with its back legs taped together (Image: RSPCA)

“This was a shocking discovery for the member of the public who found him to make, and we’re really grateful to them for sounding the alarm and racing this poor hedgehog to a local vet.

“We’re now looking into exactly what happened here – and who may be responsible. We know video doorbells and CCTV can override fairly quickly – so we’ve launched this urgent appeal for information in the hope that the local community can support our inquiries.

“If anyone saw anything suspicious in this area of Holt in recent days, we urge them to contact our inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018, and quote reference 01115237.”