A hedgehog without the slightest sting: this is the unusual sight offered by Olly, a small animal taken in four months ago by the Prickles in a Pickle shelter, near Dartmouth, in South Devon, in the southwest of England.
When it was discovered, the hedgehog was in a worrying state. Suffering from a skin fungus, ringworm, and a bacterial infection, he had lost almost all of his quills. His skin was covered in scabs, especially around his mouth, to the point that he bled when he tried to eat.
For four months, Olly has been receiving intensive care. His condition has improved, but he still cannot regain freedom. “His skin is much better, he eats alone and maintains his weight,” explains Judy Thomson, 66, co-founder of the shelter, to the British daily “The Sun”. Without its quills, the hedgehog remains particularly vulnerable, since it has lost its main means of defense against predators.
Thirteen million views on the Internet
His unusual appearance made him a minor celebrity. More than 13 million people have discovered his images on social networks, where Internet users compare him to a potato, an avocado or even a rolled up sock.
This popularity allowed the shelter to raise nearly £5,000 in donations. Welcome help for the association, which spends between 65,000 and 70,000 pounds each year to care for the animals. While it welcomed around forty hedgehogs per year seven years ago, it now takes care of more than a thousand.
