Castleford hedgehog rescue hopes to expand as demand increases

The rescue center is experiencing a busier-than-average period as hedgehogs are in their final breeding round of the year.

“It gets really busy during baby season,” Beth said.

“September is the last time they have babies.

“They have up to two sets of one to 10 babies each, but most commonly there are three or four babies.”

She added: “I once had a birth in a bin bag in the back of a van.”

Beth said her goal is to expand to support a wider range of animals.

She said: “In the first few years the focus will be on hedgehogs and then I want to expand to other animals because the sanctuaries here are overcrowded so people are traveling as far as Whitby, which is three or four hours away.”

Even in their current location, they sometimes open their doors to other creatures.

Beth said: “I’ve had people bring pigeons and crows to me – we’ve just raised five ducklings – squirrels, mice, rats.

“But we never had badgers or foxes.

“Someone tried to bring a deer once, but we had no room.”

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