While doing some research for a project, I came across this poor little fellow. Not sure how current the information is, but if it is in fact current, would any of my friends in the UK be able to adopt this little hegdehog, or perhaps know someone who might? Here is the information:
"Hercules is a blind hedgehog who has one eye missing completely & a detached retina in the other eye. This means he can just about make out the difference between very, very bright lights and darkness but can't actually see anything. Unless it is very, very bright sunlight he wouldn't be able to know whether it is day or night so will come out looking for food when he feels like it, not just at night like a normal hedgehog.
"He relies on smelling his way around and finding his food. He can never be released into the wild as he could never find food & would die of starvation within days if not killed by something within a few hours.
"He is a lovely sweet natured hedgehog who has suffered badly and deserves a chance for some happiness and a nice place to live.
"He came to us at the beginning of August 2006 when he was found out in daylight, collapsed, covered in ticks, barely able to stand up and weighing only just over 600 grams, about half what he should weigh. He had obviously had a bad injury to the head, probably hit by a car or kicked by somebody.
"Good food & constant nursing and care has got him to a weight of just over 1 kg and a more stable and healthy condition where he will soon be able to go to a safe suitable garden.
"We urgently need a very safe fully enclosed garden for him. By fully enclosed we mean either high solid brick walls all around or high solid wooden fences with either concrete or wooden gravel boards sunken into the ground deeply enough to stop a hedgehog digging its way out.
"Can you offer him a good home?
"Please only contact us to offer a home if you live very close to us. That means within the Epping Forest District area ( Loughton, Epping, Ongar), West Essex ( Brentwood, Harlow & Sawbridgeworth) or East Hertfordshire (Bishops Stortford) or other areas that are very close to us. If you live elsewhere please contact your local centre and offer them help. He will need all the conditions listed on the general adoption page plus a few others.
"He needs a stable garden where things won't keep changing, otherwise he will bump into things and injure himself as he relies on his memory for where things are and smelling his way around.
"If you don't already have a hedgehog house for him, we will give you one and also a feeding station for him and a supply of his food for the first few weeks."
~W
Hello M~