Cereal thriller

Forth Hedgehog Hospital received a very special delivery when Dunfermline postmen Brian McDonald and Davy Barbour brought a baby hog in.

Brian and Davy rescued ‘the poor wee soul’ after spotting her on their rounds in Rosyth and the new arrival has already been christened ‘Crunchie Nut.’

Brian said: ‘I felt it was the correct thing to do when we found the hedgehog as it looked really distressed.’

Nadia Al-Dujaili, of Middlebank Street, turned her back garden into Fife’s only hedgehog rescue hospital five years ago and is well known for giving the little spikey animals a helping hand.

She told the Dunfermline Press: ‘You can imagine my surprise when I’m greeted at the door by my lovely posties with my post, parcels and a Kellog’s cereal box with this wee soul in it. She was quite dehydrated, you could see by her loose skin on her belly that she was hungry.

‘The postmen found her at Cromwell Road and just grabbed the first thing they could find in their van! It was a special delivery!’

Hedgehogs are currently at the height of their breeding season and stay with their mother until five or six weeks old. Nadia said they’re left to fend for themselves very quickly but baby hogs can become separated from mum earlier than they should.

She said the public should keep a keen eye out for the prickly customers and added: ‘It’s great that we’ve got people that will look out for them. Just after a few days, she’s has a round belly again. I’ve just had to take food off her because she won’t stop eating! She’ll probably be ready to go in a couple of months!’

Nadia is caring for 38 hedgehogs at the moment – 25 of whom are babies. The hog hospital is funded by donations, so if you’d like to help, visit www.facebook.com/forthhedgehoghospital/.

Photo by Dunfermline Press.