RSPCA appeal after three hedgehogs found dead in 'suspicious circumstances' on Corby foothpath

The adult hedgehogs were discovered by a member of the public on Thursday (August 7) inside a carrier bag on a footpath behind houses on Coldermeadow Avenue.

Animal Rescue Officer Rebecca Frost attended the scene, removed the bodies and took them to a vet for examination. The vet found one male hedgehog had a puncture wound to the head, while another male had an injury to the mouth.

Rebecca said: “The circumstances in which these hedgehogs were found is suspicious – all three had blood around their mouth and face area – but otherwise appeared to be in good health prior to their death.

“We are concerned as to how these hedgehogs came to die and we are appealing for anyone who may have any information which can help our investigation to contact the RSPCA Inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018 and quote incident number 1598848.”

The incident comes as the animal welfare charity released new figures as part of its Summer Cruelty Campaign, highlighting a seasonal rise in abuse cases.

In June, July and August last year, the RSPCA took 34,401 cruelty calls to its emergency line in England and Wales – up from 25,887 the year before, an increase of a third. That equates to an average of 374 reports every day, or one call every two minutes the line was open.