Allison Lee
Smallholding Correspondent
12:00 AM 19th October 2024
lifestyle
Hog Manor - Rescuing Hedgehogs
We had a rather sad ending to our weekend when, last Sunday, we discovered a badly injured hedgehog in one of our paddocks. I had been trimming some willow branches from our wildlife walkway, as willow provides perfect enrichment for the donkeys and ponies when my husband spotted the very poorly-looking hedgehog. He swiftly removed his woolly hat and wrapped the tiny bundle up to keep it warm.
I phoned a couple of rescue hospitals in our area before being given the number of a lady called Sue Ashworth, who runs Hog Manor in Delph. We got in the car, and with the little hedgehog safely ensconced in a basket of hay, still in my husband’s woolly hat, we set off to find Sue.
Hog Manor is a small, self-funded setup, and Sue is a warm, friendly and extremely knowledgeable lady who is clearly devoted to the care of hedgehogs. A retired theatre nurse, Sue set up Hog Manor in 2019 to care for sick and injured hedgehogs. Having undertaken extensive research on these little mammals, along with completing the necessary courses for their care and having vast knowledge of treating wounds and injuries from her years of nursing, Sue is well qualified to care for these amazing creatures that are currently facing extinction.
When I arrived at Hog Manor clutching my basket containing a very sick hedgehog, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Maybe a few boxes in a spare room with one or two hedgehogs in rehabilitation? I am ashamed to say I had absolutely no idea how much work and money goes into treating these sick and injured mammals.
Sue’s setup is, by her own admission, small. However, as I looked around the purpose-built ‘ward’ with shelves housing little boxes, all neatly labelled with each hog's name, I counted at least fifteen little hedgehog houses, all immaculately clean, with tiny bowls of food, water, and fresh bedding, all with sleeping inhabitants.
Most of Sue’s ‘patients’ are road traffic accidents or victims of garden strimmers. Humans really are the biggest threat to hedgehogs. One little patient was sleeping soundly in her box, having been nursed back to health following a leg amputation due to a garden strimmer.
Sue Ashworth
Sue’s passion for every single hedgehog in her care is plain to see. Her love for what she does shines through as she swiftly and professionally assessed our little hog, weighed it, and administered painkillers to ease the pain. Sue ascertained, due to the hedgehog's size and weight, that she was probably born in Spring this year, so it was all the more upsetting that she had endured such a horrific injury at so young an age.
Sue doesn’t sugar-coat things, and she did say it was doubtful that our little hedgehog would survive, given the extent of her injuries. It was thought that a badger may have got to her. More than half of her little body had lost its skin and needles, and the wound was enormous. The hedgehog was cold despite our efforts to keep her warm, which was a sign that her body was already beginning to shut down. Sue placed her in an incubator in an effort to raise her body temperature.
We chatted for a while. Sue informed me she funds Hog Manor herself and never turns away a sick or injured hedgehog. She aims to release the hedgehogs back into the wild once they are strong and well enough for her to do so. Any hedgehogs that can’t be released, for example, if they are blind, will be rehomed or kept at Sue’s home.
Sue kept me informed of our little hedgehog’s progress, although sadly, later that evening, the little creature passed away. Her injuries were too severe for her to survive. I shed a tear or two, but I feel very privileged to have met Sue and to witness first-hand the amazing work that she does to ensure the survival of these amazing little mammals.
Please visit Sue’s website for more information about her work and donate to this worthy cause.
www.hogmanor.co.uk
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