In Gujarat, "Rare" Hedgehog Found In Residential Area

Wildlife Rescue Trust, a non-governmental organization, on Sunday rescued a hedgehog from a residential area in Gujarat's Vadodara district. Speaking to news agency ANI, Trust president, Arvind Pawar said, "This is a rare species and was last caught in Vadodara in 2007."

Photos shared on Twitter by ANI show the hedgehog sitting on top of a red-coloured stool after being rescued by Trust employees. 

Gujarat: A hedgehog was rescued from a residential area in Vadodara by Wildlife Rescue Trust, a non-governmental organization yesterday. Trust president Arvind Pawar said, “This is a rare species & was last caught in Vadodara in 2007." pic.twitter.com/drJ95GIDau

— ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2020

Since being shared on the microblogging platform this morning, the post has garnered over 500 'likes' and a ton of comments. While many commented to say that the animal looked "cute", others said that the hedgehog is not rare.

"Looks cute," wrote one person in the comments section, while another said, "These walk around in our garden every day!"

According to Arvind Pawar, President of Wildlife Rescue Trust, these hedgehogs are solitary and nocturnal animals. During the day they are seen resting under rocks. They may also live in abandoned burrows of other small mammals. Hedgehogs have a great sense of hearing and smell that they use to hunt food and find prey. They prefer to graze early in the evening. 

The hedgehog found in Vadodara was later delivered safely to the forest department. 

Earlier this month, an 8-feet long crocodile was also rescued from Manjalpur area in Gujarat's Vadodara district by the Wildlife Department.