I’ve been meaning to register here for a while but this thread prompted me after googling ‘spray painting hedgehogs’.
I can’t decide if I’m more angry or upset about this, but its bothering me so much I can’t stop thinking about it.
I have 4 or 5 hogs visiting my garden regularly, and over the past few months they have been showing up with white marks on them, which fade over time before being replaced with new ones. It started with just the one, who I named Stripe, thinking it was a brand new visitor (now I think not), but its getting more frequent. Now Hairy Monster has a stripe on his bum, Hugo has a horseshoe-shape and last night little Button appeared with a big spot on her side.
I’m fuming. Who the hell has the right to graffiti a wild animal? Would they spray paint a fox or badger? I think not. Just because hedgehogs are small and benign creatures they think they have the right?
I know I dont own these animals (though I do call them ‘my’ hogs) but I’m passionate about wildlife, and hedgehogs are a bit of a favourite. I love my little visitors, its such an honour to have them and I care for them as best I can, always keeping a respectful distance (I mainly just watch footage of them from my trail cam the next day). They make me happy when not much else does, and its really upsetting me that someone can do this for their own personal gain. I see no legitimate reason for it.
Hedgehogs should be a properly protected species, then this sort of thing would be illegal.
Sorry if this sounds a bit dramatic and over the top, but its how I feel.
