Revealed: Woman who brought ‘injured baby hedgehog’ into animal hospital went bright red in the face when staff told her it was actually a fluffy hat bobble

A woman who brought what she thought was an injured baby hedgehog to an animal hospital turned very red and quickly left when staff told her it was actually a fluffy hat, the manager said today.

The kind-hearted woman carefully cared for the fluff ball overnight after finding it on the side of the road and put it in a shoebox with a plate of food.

She put her hand to her mouth, surprised, and exclaimed, ‘You’re kidding!’ when she was informed that the “creature” she had brought was actually a fashion accessory that belonged to a wool hat.

He had mistaken the bubble for an injured hedgehog and spent the night caring for it before taking it to Lower Moss Wood Nature Reserve and Wildlife Hospital in Knutsford, Cheshire, last Thursday.

But when hospital director Janet Kotze opened the box, she realized the “hedgehog” actually belonged to a woolly hat.

Kotze said he “couldn’t believe what he was seeing” when he made the discovery.

The hospital director revealed today: ‘The lady brought it in a cardboard box very carefully and when she placed it on the counter, I could see that it was lined with newspaper and even had a small plate of food. In the middle was a small furry ball.

‘He said he had rescued a baby hedgehog and spent the night looking after it, but when he got up that morning the creature wasn’t moving so he brought it to us.

She called ahead and drove to us mid-morning. I think she was the first admission that day.

“It didn’t look like any hedgehog I had ever seen, but I wondered what it was or if, rather sadly, it was part of an animal.

‘So, I carefully picked up the box and took it to one of the surgery rooms to better inspect it under the light.

‘There was no movement, even when I moved the box a little.

“But as soon as I got a little closer, I discovered that it wasn’t anything alive, and when I reached out and touched it carefully, it was obvious that it was the pompom from someone’s woolly hat.

“I took the box to the reception where the woman was waiting and said, ‘I’m so sorry, it’s actually a ball… from a hat,’ and picked it up to show her.

‘This poor woman turned red with embarrassment and put her hand over her mouth and said, ‘Are you kidding me?!’

The animal lover timidly left the animal hospital, box in hand.

Mrs Kotze continued: ‘He recovered the box but it disappeared in an instant. She was dejected, really embarrassed, but she had done everything right, she hadn’t touched what she thought was the hedgehog, she had left it alone and brought it to us. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

“Normally there is a file that people have to fill out, with their contact information and the location of where they found the animal, but this lady went quickly without bothering, although in the end it was not necessary, of course.

“He got into his car and left. ‘She didn’t want to hang around but she shouldn’t feel too bad, she was a very sweet lady and her heart was in the right place.’

Kotze added that if people see a hedgehog outdoors during the day, they should be taken to a rescue as it is a sign that they are distressed.

Janet said: “It’s a rule of thumb that hedgehogs shouldn’t be outside during the day, especially the smaller ones, but she did absolutely the right thing, apart from the fact that it wasn’t a hedgehog.”