Hoglet’s prickly problem solved

Burly delivery men bringing online goods to the nation’s front doors face many challenges, from snarling dogs to even snarlier householders.

However, watching one driver freeze in his tracks on our doorstep after being confronted by the cutest of hedgehogs left me questioning his career choice last week.

Only after carefully ushering the prickly creature to safety was the petrified parcel carrier happy to hand over his consignment, his wary eyes never leaving sight of the animal tiptoeing across the lawn to forage.

While the driver lived to continue his afternoon round – I didn’t have the heart to tell him he was bringing our regular supply of hedgehog food – urgent calls were made at my end to find out how best to care for the wayward creature.

Coming across a hedgehog in daylight is always a cause for concern. Big eyes and sensitive snouts are made for nocturnal activities. Animals looking for food during the day are invariably in trouble.

Luckily, hedgehog champion Anne Brummer, who co-founded animal welfare organisation Save Me Trust with Queen legend Brian May, was only a phone call away.

First, she advised me to make sure the hoglet was not injured and then to check its weight. A healthy hedgehog should tip the scales at more than 600 grams at the onset of winter. After passing these tests, the hog was carefully lifted into a high-sided cardboard box with a warmed towel.

I learned that if hedgehogs are cold they struggle to metabolise food.

Fortunately, the spiny youngster was big and healthy enough not to need a trip to a local wildlife rescue centre.

After a few hours, the hoglet was ready to go back foraging at our garden wildlife feeding station and getting stuck into the latest delivery of hedgehog food.

Dog food and meat-based cat foods also provide nutritious meals.

Hedgehogs need all the help we can give them – as many as 335,000 are killed on our road annually.

Other challenges in a fast-changing world have seen numbers plunge so dramatically they are now included on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List for British Mammals.

Seeing a hedgehog in daylight is always a cause for concern