One in a MILLION!
This week, we’re commending the heroic rescues of Jayne Griffiths, 56, from South Milford. She said…
Tapping away at my laptop, I felt a rustling from deep inside my jacket pocket. Buried down inside and snuggled up for warmth, was my new prickly best friend.
I’d rescued a hedgehog in June 2023 who was covered in bruises after being attacked by another animal and had a bad case of flystrike, too.
He’d even lost his nose and being so young, his eyes hadn’t opened yet.
‘Are you hungry, Dave?’ I said, before sorting out his next fix of tinned food.
He needed around the clock care – even when I was working full-time as an environmental scientist, I carried him around in my pocket to keep an eye on him. But he wasn’t the only hog
that needed my help…
Founding the Milford Hedgehogs Rescue Centre in August 2023, I dedicated my time to our local wildlife. Having volunteered at other rescue centres beforehand, taking in vulnerable foxes and hedgehogs for rehabilitation, I was frustrated at the lack of capacity they had.
We can’t take all of them in…
So, funding the resources out of my own pocket, I started my own rescue centre.
Based in my dining room, I set up small animal cages with blankets inside as beds – enough for 15 hogs – and splashed out on specialist kitten food to feed them.
Using my previous medical training, I was even able to treat and dress their wounds.
And going to my regular coffee morning group, the ladies even fundraised enough money to buy me an incubator for the youngest and most poorly hedgehogs, too.
Soon, I was overrun with hedgehogs! I’d taken in over 20 but I couldn’t turn any of them away.
Luckily though, due to local fundraising efforts, I was able to convert my garage into a proper hog-spital.
Now, I take in around 50 hedgehogs at a time, nursing them back to health.
Releasing the hogs back into the wild after their recovery journeys is so rewarding.
Although, Dave is an exception – he just stayed in my garden after being released.
Now, I have a team of up to 20 regular volunteers, but I’m always on the hunt for more.
While they can appear prickly on the outside, the hogs are soft as butter on the inside.
And I’ll keep on nurturing these little characters for as long as I can – there’ll be no hibernating for me!
I wanted to take care of them all
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