Baby hedgehog dumped in Ikea bag (From Sutton Guardian)

Baby hedgehog found dumped in Ikea bag on Beddington Lane, Sutton

12:10pm Wednesday 26th September 2012 in News By Sophia Sleigh, Reporter

A baby hedgehog was found dumped in an Ikea bag on Beddington Lane.

Eight week old Henry was brought in to the Riverside Animal Centre in Beddington after a member of the public rescued him on Monday (September 24).

Ted Burden, the centre’s founder, thinks somebody probably found him in their garden and decided to get rid of him.

He said: "[Henry] will stay with us right the way through the winter.

"When he’s a bit bigger he will move outside pen but not for a good few weeks.

"He’s only a couple of hundred grams and we’d like to see him around 700 to 800 grams.

"He would still be around his mum at this age.

"He wouldn’t have survived there for that long. At least somebody found him."

The animal centre has seen the number of admissions of animals double over the last few years however hedgehogs, which are a protected species, have declined.

Mr Burden added: "They are doing very badly. It is crucial to bring them in to us.

"We can advise people how to make their garden more hedgehog friendly.

"There’s also a lot of information online on how to care for hedgehogs."

For more information call the centre on 020 8647 6230 or email info@riversideanimalcentre.org .