That was tiring, now I will curl up on this flattering red surface.
Last week, a hedgehog was rescued from a potato chip bag outside a supermarket in Weston-super-Mare (in Somerset, on England’s west coast). Apparently he had burrowed in there to get warm, and then people were like, why does that crisp packet keep moving, not like in the wind moving but has a hedgehog inside it moving? (Brits call potato chips “crisps” and wrappers “packets” because they are adorable.) The hedgehog, who is now fine, was named Crispian.
Here’s where it starts getting weirder: Crispian was saved by a hedgehog rescue organization. Yes, England’s western counties have their very own hedgehog-saving league. Apparently hedgehog rescue is a common event in this corner of the world, so popular that is has its own rules:
- Pick it up
- Weigh it
- Give it food and water
- Provide a box
- Put it in a pen in the garage
If you don’t have a garage, I guess you put it somewhere else that’s good for a hedgehog.
But the weirdest part of the story awaits us: It took more than three hours to rescue this hedgehog. Crispian had somehow steered himself and his bag into a railed-off area, and rescuers had to cut through the railings and crawl in to fish him out. Being professional hedgehog rescuers, they knew what to do, but basically this was the longest, most arduous “get a small animal out of an open package” operation ever.
Well. Perhaps Crispian’s ordeal was a blessing in disguise. If you are ever in the west counties of England, and you find a hedgehog who needs help, you’ll know who to call.
