Hedgehog put down after ‘barbaric torturers’ bind legs, slash spines and spray-paint him blue

Attack described as one of the ‘most callous incidents’ the RSPCA has ever dealt with

A hedgehog was found tortured by a passerby in Holt on Saturday (RSPCA/PA)

The RSPCA has launched an appeal to track down the “barbaric torturers” who bound a hedgehog, slashed his spines and spray-painted him before leaving him to die.

The animal, which was still alive at the time, was found by a passer-by with its legs tied together by blue electrical tape, its spines trimmed short and having been partly spray painted blue on a footpath adjacent to Arkell Avenue in Holt, north Norfolk.

The charity condemned the attack on the fastest-vanishing wildlife species and said it was “absolutely heartbreaking”.

The male hedgehog was rushed to a vet in Fakenham at around 8pm before the RSPCA was contacted. The vet took the decision to put the hedgehog to sleep due to its condition.

I just cannot believe what this poor hedgehog has been put through; it seems very much like he has been the victim of a premeditated attack. It's the most callous incident I've had to deal with in 16 years as an officer

Ben Kirby, RSPCA

‘What3Words’ has been used to pinpoint the precise spot the hedgehog was found in Holt – location ///cyclones.signified.bounded.

The charity is now urging people in the area to check CCTV and video doorbell footage in the hope of identifying the people responsible.

RSPCA inspector Ben Kirby said: “It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the state this poor hedgehog had been left in – with his legs bound together by tape, and his spines trimmed right down.

“I just cannot believe what this poor hedgehog has been put through; it seems very much like he has been the victim of a premeditated attack. It’s the most callous incident I’ve had to deal with in 16 years as an officer.

“He’d also been sprayed with blue paint – potentially so they’d be able to see him more clearly in the nearby hedgerow after they’d tortured him.

“This was a shocking discovery for the member of the public who found him to make, and we’re really grateful to them for sounding the alarm and racing this poor hedgehog to a local vet.

“We’re now looking into exactly what happened here – and who may be responsible. We know video doorbells and CCTV can override fairly quickly – so we’ve launched this urgent appeal for information in the hope that the local community can support our inquiries.

“If anyone saw anything suspicious in this area of Holt in recent days, we urge them to contact our inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018, and quote reference 01115237.”