Hedgehog painted in Leeds United colours left struggling to breathe, rescue says

The adult female was found by a woman in her back garden in Yeadon, in Leeds, and appeared to have been painted in the Leeds United football colours of yellow and blue or as Sonic the Hedgehog.

The paint meant that the poor spiny mammal was unable to "curl up " into a ball and was left with "breathing problems" due to the fumes from the paint.

Staff at Prickly Pigs Hedgehog Rescue in based in Otley, also in Leeds., who took in the animal, had to scrub clean the oil-based paint from each individual spine and administer pain relief.

Diane Cook, 51, who owns the rescue shelter, said whether it is football-related or not, the person's actions were "absolutely appalling".

"It's an unbelievably stupid thing to do.

"We know it was done deliberately, and she just not brushed against wet paint or fallen in some paint, because she’s completely covered except for the front of her face, tummy and legs.

"This is absolutely disgusting behaviour to happen to any animal never mind a creature that in our country is on the Red List and classed as ‘vulnerable to extinction’. "

According to Diane, because the creature had restricted movement, it had no way of defending itself from predators and could have easily been "killed".

Or even worse, slowly starved to death or succumbed to malnutrition.

Diane - who runs the shelter from her converted garage - said the paint was so "thick and tough it had ‘glued’ her spines together".

The animal lover also said the paint was similar to emulsion used for decorating or even one used for road marking road surfaces.

The fumes from the paint had caused it "severe breathing problems" as well as from "potentially trying to lick it off her or from other toxins within the paint".

Diane says once the paint has been removed, the hedgehog will be microchipped and released back into to the garden where it was found.

Hedgehogs are in decline in Britain and are now listed as "Vulnerable" on Britain's red list of mammals.

According to the latest State of Britain's hedgehogs report, numbers of hedgehogs have fallen by up to 30% in urban areas and 50% in rural areas since the turn of the century.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "Unfortunately someone in the LS19 area of Leeds has sprayed a hedgehog blue.

"This has caused unnecessary suffering to the animal and it is being treated by rescue.

"If anyone has any information about the incident please call 101 and quote the crime number 13260401913."