Students and staff from the Animal Management department at Salford City College have set up a ‘hedgehog haven’ at Walkden Sixth Form Centre.
The sanctuary’s first resident is Teddy, who was brought in by a local resident after he was found in their garden at the end of November.
When he arrived, Teddy weighed just 640g, and had a number of ticks that needed to be removed.
A rota was set up for the students to take responsibility for recuperating him, and they now take it in turns to feed, clean and weigh the hedgehog, ensuring that his records are filled in regularly to keep track of his progress.
Little Hulton student Mel Buckley, 19, is one of the students taking care of Teddy.
The former Harrop Fold College pupil said: “I have really enjoyed looking after Teddy, it has been a really good experience as part of my course, and it’s great to see him so active.”
She added: “My favourite thing about college is working with all the different animals we have here, and when I finish I want to work in animal care, preferably training dogs or dealing with wildlife.”
The aim is to get Teddy up to 1kg before he is released back into the wild in spring.
He is currently kept indoors, but when the weather gets warmer he will be transferred to a hutch outdoors to reacclimatise, before being taken back to the garden where he was found in March.
Sheryl Warren, Animal Management teacher at Walkden Sixth Form Centre, said: “We are going to be delivering a wildlife unit next term, so this exercise has been a great way to give the students an extra bit of experience.
“It also gives them something unique to talk about when they come apply for jobs in areas such as conservation, ecology or wildlife rehabilitation.”
The College’s ‘hedgehog haven’ has the capacity to look after up to eight hedgehogs at once- if you find a hedgehog in distress or with an injury, please contact sheryl.warren@salfordcc.ac.uk or emily.rostron@salfordcc.ac.uk.
