Hedgehog ‘screamed in pain’ before dying after being spray-painted blue

A hedgehog died after apparently being spray-painted blue in an attack that left it “screaming in pain” and with severe chemical burns, a rescue centre has said.

The adult male was found by a farmer in a field behind Wakefield Police Station in West Yorkshire before being rushed to Castleford Hedgehog Rescue.

Blue paint covered a large area of its back, giving the animal an appearance likened to video game character Sonic the Hedgehog.

But rescuers said the substance had caused horrific injuries, burning through several layers of skin and leaving some of its spines appearing to have melted away.

The hedgehog arrived at the rescue centre at around 4pm on Tuesday, October 27, but died the following morning.

Beth Campsill, 29, who runs the rescue, said it was the worst spray paint-related case she had encountered during 16 years of helping hedgehogs.

“When the hedgehog was brought to us he was screaming in pain,” she said.

“I gave the poor thing the maximum pain relief I could, but he didn’t stop. He effectively screamed himself to death.

“I don’t know how anyone could be so cruel to an animal. It is disgusting.

“I haven’t seen anything as bad or as sad as this in a long time.”

Beth believes the hedgehog may have died from infection caused by the chemical burns, with poisoning from the substance another possible factor.

After she posted about the case on Facebook, some people suggested the blue substance could have been an antiseptic spray sometimes used on livestock.

However, Beth said its thick texture and the damage it caused led her to believe it was more likely to have been paint. She said she had to scrape the substance from spines that had not already fallen away.

The hedgehog was also suffering from flystrike, a potentially fatal condition in which flies lay eggs in wounds or damaged tissue and the resulting maggots begin feeding on the animal.

Beth said the hedgehog would probably have endured an extremely painful death had it remained in the wild.

“I’m glad he was brought in as it meant at least we could ease his suffering and make him feel comfortable,” she said.

She plans to report the incident to police, although it is not known who was responsible or exactly where the hedgehog came into contact with the substance.

Hedgehogs have suffered a major decline in Britain and are classed as vulnerable to extinction on the British Red List for mammals.

Previous nationwide assessments have found particularly steep falls in rural populations, increasing concern among conservation groups about habitat loss, road deaths and other threats facing the species.