Hedgehog reunited with hoglets in 'extraordinary' event in Lincoln

The hoglets were found in a garden compost heap in Lincolnshire

A mother hedgehog has been reunited with her six hoglets in a "rare and extraordinary" set of events.

The mother was accidentally removed from her nest, in a Lincolnshire garden compost heap, on Saturday and left on a riverbank a mile away, rescuers said.

Bedlam Farm Wildlife Rescue took in the hoglets and helped reunite the family after the mother returned to the nest.

Hoglets are at risk of being killed or abandoned if nests are disturbed, the Hedgehog Preservation Society warned.

Cassie Tudor said reuniting the family had made "my heart skip a beat"

A video posted on social media by rescuers shows the tiny creatures suckling in a makeshift nest created by Bedlam Farm Wildlife Rescue at its base in Lincoln.

Owner Cassie Tudor said reuniting the family had made her "heart skip a beat".

She said the hedgehog had been moved by a concerned householder who was worried for her safety after she was found by his pet dog.

Rescuers were called the next day following the discovery of her offspring "all with their eyes closed" in the same compost heap.

The householder returned to the site to fetch the mother but she could not be found.

He later found a hedgehog in his garden and, believing it was the rightful parent, took it to Ms Tudor.

Hedgehogs are an endangered species and on the Mammal Society's Red List

Ms Tudor said she was not "100% sure" if the animal was the mother but she had "a gut feeling" because of her determination to get back to her offspring.

"I tried reuniting [them], she huffed and puffed a little bit because they smelt funny to her.

"She knew instantly that they were hers. The babies started squeaking like mad, they knew it was her and within an hour she was starting to rebuild a nest in the little enclosure I put them in.

"I left her be because I knew she wasn't going to hurt them by then and three hours later, I popped my head in and she was laid flat out and all six of them were suckling on her.

"What an incredible hedgehog. I've just never heard of this before."

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society says a compost heap is an ideal habitat for the animals and should be left alone

According to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, a hedgehog can attack or even eat their young if a nest is disturbed or a human scent is detected on the offspring.

Hugh Warwick, society spokesperson, described the event as "extraordinary" and said he had "not come across this before" in his 40 years of studying hedgehogs.

"It's rare for this to come out with such a positive outcome," he said.

He urged people not to pick up hedgehogs unless they are in distress.

For more on this story, listen to BBC Radio Lincolnshire viaBBC Sounds.