A ‘podgy’ hedgehog which got stuck in a drain pipe has been named as one of the RSPCA’s best rescues of the last year. 

On August 8, the RSPCA was called after a member of the public spotted the hedgehog caught in a tight spot.

The ‘podgy’ creature, as the charity called it, had become trapped in a pipe in Banbury after it had fallen into an open drain.

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Rescuer Lauren Bailey said: “The rather chunky hedgehog had fallen down an open drain and got wedged around 1ft down inside the tight pipe.

“I was able to bend and flex some metal coat hangers into a little hook and carefully pull him up and out.

“Thankfully he wasn’t injured so I set him on his way and he scurried off into the undergrowth!”

Oxford Mail: The hedgehog was released safely following the rescue. Picture: RSPCAThe hedgehog was released safely following the rescue. Picture: RSPCA

Details of the rescue come as the charity revealed it was called more than 2,000 times about animal emergencies in Oxfordshire in 2021.

2,304 incidents were reported to the RSPCA’s frontline teams through its emergency hotline between January 1 and November 30.

Across the South East the charity was called 44,998 times, with 281,390 incidents reported nationally.

The RSPCA’s other top rescues include a runaway pet lizard in Kent who escaped his enclosure and climbed up onto the roof, a not-so-cunning fox who got her head stuck in wooden decking in Bedfordshire and a young fox that hitched a ride in an Alfa Romeo in East Sussex.

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