Baby hedgehogs 'crying for dead mother' in dog attack

Five baby hedgehogs, called hoglets, survived the attack

Five baby hedgehogs were found cowering from a dog which had attacked their nest.

The young animals were found "cold and distressed" in Fremington, north Devon, on Wednesday.

Another baby had been killed by the dog, said Diana Lewis of North Devon Animal Ambulance.

She rescued the hedgehogs after she got a call from "distraught" dog owners who saw their pet toying with the nest in a garden.

More on this story and others from Devon

The hoglets are now being cared for at the RSPCA's West Hatch Wildlife Hospital near Taunton

"I found five tiny, little hoglets crying pitifully for their mother, who sadly had died," said Ms Lewis.

The hoglets were too small to feed themselves are now being cared for at the RSPCA's West Hatch Wildlife Hospital near Taunton.

"Hedgehogs are an endangered species, so this is absolutely tragic," said Ms Lewis.

Oliver Colvile, former Conservative MP for Plymouth, who campaigns for hedgehogs, said: "I am very saddened by this, but I'm delighted that the dog owner reported it to ensure that the charities could look after them."

How to help hedgehogs

• Ensure there is a 13 x13cm gap in your boundary fence or wall to allow hedgehogs to pass through

• A wild corner offers shelter, protection and natural food for hedgehogs and other wildlife

• Avoid using pesticides and slug pellets in your garden

• Provide a shallow dish of fresh water and food such as meat-based pet food or chopped unsalted peanuts for hedgehogs, especially during long dry spells

• Make or buy a hedgehog home - it may be used as a hibernation site in winter or as a nesting box for a mother and her hoglets in the warmer months

• Check thoroughly for hedgehogs before strimming or mowing.

Source: BHPS

Mr Colvile has been campaigning with charities such as the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) to get hedgehogs designated as a protected species.

It follows surveys by the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) which show a decline in hedgehog numbers in rural areas as hedgerows and field margins are lost to intensive farming.

Fay Vass of the BHPS said dog owners who suspected that hedgehogs were using their garden should keep their pets on a lead, especially at night when the nocturnal mammals roam for food.

"We get quite a few reports of dog attacks," she said.

"It is just another thing that they have to contend with and if they can be prevented then so much the better."