Harborough wildlife charity needs your help

Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital in Kibworth has an amazing 140 young rescued hedgehogs currently living there.

It’s probably the highest concentration of hedgehogs in the UK.

“Most of them are just too small to survive hibernation through a cold winter” said the Hospital’s Jack Curran.

“We will have to keep them all here over the winter - and that’s a lot of hedgehogs to feed!”

Jack told the Mail that through November, young hedgehogs were being handed in to the Centre at the rate of two a day.

The animals arrive in Kibworth not just from Harborough but from all over the Midlands.

“One of them’s come all the way from Stoke-on-Trent” said Jack.

But the ‘hedgehog town’ needs feeding - and that’s causing problems for the small wildlife charity.

Contrary to popular belief, hedgehogs should NOT be given milk - it can cause diarrhoea

What they really need is dog food.

“As you can appreciate, 140 hedgehogs get through an enormous amount of dog food every week” said Jack.

“If Mail readers can help us with donations, especially donations of dog food, we’d greatly appreciate it.”

Hedgehogs like loaf or pate type dog food, such as Pedigree Loaf or Butchers Tripe Mix. No fish please.

Donations can be delivered directly to the hospital site, which is down a track at the rear of Birds Barn, off Fleckney Road, just outside Kibworth Beauchamp. Please ring first on 0795 1285 366.

Alternatively, you can make a financial donation to the Hospital here: www.leicesterwildlifehospital.org