Someone Tied A Hedgehog To A Tree With A 'Makeshift Crucifix' Of Shoelaces

Animal welfare workers in Wales are investigating after a hedgehog was found tied to a tree with a “makeshift crucifix” of shoelaces. The animal was discovered in time and survived.

An inspector for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said she was “left utterly disgusted” by the shocking case of cruelty that an unknown perpetrator is believed to have carried out overnight Monday in the town of Blackwood.

A passerby noticed the male hedgehog, who was unable to curl up due to its belly pointing outwards from the tree, on Tuesday.

“We have been left utterly disgusted by this shocking incident, with a poor hedgehog cruelly tied to a tree by a makeshift crucifix of shoelaces,” the inspector, Izzi Hignell, said in a written statement.

“This hedgehog will have suffered immeasurably by this horrendous ordeal, and was found with a series of injuries ― including facial problems, and a bleeding nose, mouth and leg,” Hignell said.

The hedgehog is being “monitored very closely” by a veterinarian, Hignell said, adding that “treating wild animals this way is barbaric and wholly unacceptable.”