RSPCA Cymru officers are bracing themselves to help more hedgehogs in emergency situations this Hedgehog Awareness Week (May 3 to 9) - after responding to a remarkable 829 incidents involving the prickly creatures last year in Wales.

The RSPCA has revealed that - across England and Wales - the animal welfare charity took in more hedgehogs to their wildlife centres last year than any other species of wildlife.

In total, more than 2,700 hedgehogs were admitted to RSPCA national wildlife centres - including many having been rescued from Wales.

Officers across Wales responded to 829 incidents throughout the calendar year, concerning a total of 976 hedgehogs. In total, the RSPCA dealt with 9,551 wildlife-incidents in Wales in 2019, meaning almost one in every 11 concerns a hedgehog.

Now - an emergency fundraising appeal has been launched to help keep RSPCA Cymru officers on the frontline during the coronavirus outbreak; rescuing the nation’s much-loved wildlife - including responding to an anticipated increase in calls about stricken hedgehogs.

Traditionally, the month of April is when more hedgehogs start to come into the care of the charity, due to being sick, injured or trapped - as they leave hibernation in search of food and start their breeding season.

Recently, on April 17, the RSPCA came to the aid of two hedgehogs stuck in a cattle grid in Forden, near Montgomery. An officer was able to wriggle both hogs through the bars of the grid and, after a thorough welfare assessment, returned the lucky animals to the wild.

The most common reasons hedgehogs come into the RSPCA are because they are orphaned, underweight, injured or exhibiting abnormal behaviour indicative of ill health.

RSPCA scientific officer Evie Button said: “Regardless of coronavirus, wild animals still need rescuing by the RSPCA and the breeding season is the start of a really busy time for our rescue teams across Wales.

“We’ll have lots of calls about baby birds, orphaned fox cubs and hedgehogs which have come out of hibernation and need help to build up their body weight.

“It’s Hedgehog Awareness Week which is very appropriate as these much-loved prickly creatures are the most frequent visitor to our wildlife centres, following rescues across England and Wales.”

Despite the lockdown, RSPCA rescue teams are continuing on the frontline. As it prepares to respond to more emergencies concerning hedgehogs and other species of wildlife, the charity has launched an emergency appeal to help it continue to rescue, rehabilitate and release wild animals - and keep rescue teams on the road.

In 2020 to date, RSPCA officers have dealt with 27,595 wildlife incidents across England and Wales, including 10,817 since the lockdown began on March 23.

However, hedgehogs won’t be the only species of wildlife needing the RSPCA’s emergency help as the Covid-19 restrictions continue.

Already, since the start of lockdown, RSPCA officers in Wales have responded to emergency wildlife situations - including rescuing and hand-rearing two baby orphaned mice rescued in Cardiff, saving swans from dangerous fishing litter in Pwll, and tending to a tiny, unwell baby wild rabbit found in Bridgend.

Evie added: “Watching wildlife is such a great source of comfort to people at the moment and we are so grateful to the public for calling us when they are concerned about any animal.

“The public are our eyes and ears - and the lives of mice, swans and wild rabbits are among those to be saved in Wales thanks to people bringing incidents to the attention of our animal rescue teams.

“However in the case of baby animals, including fledglings, it’s often better to leave them where they are as they are often rescued by their mum or get themselves out of trouble. There’s lots of advice on our website.”

To help the RSPCA keep rescuing animals like these and keep our animal hospitals and centres running for emergency treatment and round the clock care through these unprecedented times, please donate whatever you can spare at www.rspca.org.uk/covid.