In the UK, a family was recently relaxing in their garden and suddenly people saw something small, alive and blue under the bushes. At first glance, they could not determine what kind of animal it was, so they called the RSPCA Animal Rescue Society.

RSPCA officer Clara Sally, who arrived at the call, carefully examined the creature and found out that it was actually a hedgehog, but covered in thick blue paint from head to toe.

Clara was worried about the fate of the hedgehog, the paint could cause great harm to his health. She picked up a hedgehog and brought the animal to the West Hatch Wildlife Center.

“Fortunately help arrived in time, the hedgehog was still alive and he had a chance to save,” says Sally, “Although we don’t know whether he crawled into a can of paint or some fool for the sake of laughter painted him. But now it doesn’t matter, the main thing is that he will be given the necessary help”.

Because of the blue paint, the hedgehog was given the nickname Sonic, after the blue hedgehog from video games. Removing the paint from his needles proved to be a daunting task. The center staff managed to remove the largest pieces of paint, and the rest had to be left as it is.

“We had to anesthetize him to remove the pieces of paint,” says Dr. Bel Dearing, “The paint was elastic and difficult to remove. It was also very caustic and inflammations were formed on the areas where the paint got on the skin.

In the center, the hedgehog eats well and quickly gains weight. When he fully recovers, he will be released into the wild away from human homes.

Hedgehogs are small but very active. It is not a problem for them to get into open cans, including those with paint or household chemicals. The RSPCA urges people to store jars carefully and keep the lids on at all times. This will help prevent accidents with animals.