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UK News Contents: England | N Ireland | Scotland | Monday, 29 July, 2002, 10:19 GMT 11:19 UK

Milk appeal for pint-sized hedgehogs

A Devon animal hospital needs a special type of milk to save five baby hedgehogs.

The Plymouth-based Prickles Unit, a hedgehog hospital, has urgently appealed for any stocks of first-day-old goat's milk.

The baby hedgehogs are orphans, who are lucky to be alive after a close shave with a garden strimmer.

They were found in a garden at Plympton by a family mowing their lawn.

When the mother had not returned after two hours, they phoned the hedgehog hospital for help.

"They have to be fed every two hours and without their natural mum, they need a very special type of milk, but that is about to run out," said Jean Linton, of the Prickles Hedgehog Hospital.

"My main concern is at the moment is these baby hedgehogs need goats colostrum to survive," she added.

"Goat's colostrum is the first-day goat's milk of the female goat who's just had kids.

"This milk is the closest milk we can get to the hedgehogs' mother's milk and these babies need this to survive."


Related to this story:
Centre offers hedgehog sanctuary (11 Jul 02 | Scotland) Cull row hogs the limelight (10 Jul 02 | Scotland) Hedgehogs 'may slug it out in England' (10 Jul 02 | Scotland)


Internet links: The Prickles Unit
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