Burnt Blondie's lucky to be alive

12:09pm Thursday 13th March 2008

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LUCKY hedgehog Blondie is recovering after nearly being burnt to death in a bonfire.

The little survivor is a rare blonde hedgehog and was found badly burnt in the Lypiatt area of Corsham last week.

He was rushed to the hedgehog sanctuary in Neston where owner Kim Goodridge helped nurse him back to health.

She said: "This is actually quite a big problem with people not checking their bonfires before setting them on fire.

"Poor little Blondie was rushed in after a gentleman found him wandering around in a very bad state.

"His head and back were badly burnt and one of his ears was missing - he was close to death.

"I rushed him to the vet's and he has been in and out of there ever since and is currently on a high level of antibiotics."

Albino hedgehogs are extremely rare with only one to every 10,000 hedgehogs carrying the gene.

Because of the weak pigmentation in their skin and spikes, blonde hedgehogs suffer more from sunburn and heat.

Little Blondie will be returned to Ms Goodridge's shelter in the next few weeks and then released into the wild as soon as he has recovered.

She said: "The main problem with bonfires is that people forget to check them before setting them on fire and hedgehogs like to nestle amongst piles of leaves and wood.

"I would just like to urge anyone who is putting together a bonfire to double check that there are no animals underneath the firewood."

Ms Goodridge is expecting Blondie to make a full recovery and no long term side effects.