A pregnant hedgehog was seriously injured after a group of boys kicked her and pelted her with stones.
Two passersby intervened after seeing the boys, thought to be aged between 12 and 13, tormenting the animal in Shenley in Hertfordshire.
If they hadn’t been there, the hedgehog would probably not have survived, police said.
But as it was, the hog was taken to a rescue centre to have treatment for loss of sight in one of her eyes, spinal damage, a broken leg, fractured jaw and a laceration to her stomach.
She has since given birth to three hoglets, but sadly one of them was stillborn.
Police are now appealing for information and witnesses to the attack around 7pm on June 20, which happened in Porters Park Drive close to the junction with Tagalie Place.
PC Dan Hill said: ‘Thankfully two passers-by intervened as I doubt this hedgehog would have survived the attack otherwise.
‘After being taken to the rescue centre it was discovered that the animal was pregnant and had suffered a number of serious injuries including the loss of sight in one of her eyes, spinal damage, a broken leg, fractured jaw and a laceration to her stomach.
‘Vets found that the hedgehog was microchipped and checks revealed that she was born at a rescue centre last year after her mother was injured. They had been released back into the wild in October.
‘We are a nation of animal lovers so I’m sure that many of you will be appalled by this incident. I would like to reassure the local community that we do take animal cruelty seriously and the Rural Operational Support Team, who specialise in dealing with rural and wildlife crime, will be assisting us with this investigation.
‘If you were in the area at the time and saw what happened or have dash cam footage or CCTV or any other information that could help us to identify those involved please get in touch as soon as possible.’
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