A prickle (best collective noun ever?) of little hedgehogs are roaming wild and free after months of in-clinic care!
Limpopo, South Africa (08 April 2026) – Wildlife rescuing duo Paul Oxton and Carina Crayton from Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation in Limpopo have been nursing a small group of spikey babies with warmth and care for months, at their wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre.
This week, they shared the special moment when they were finally able to release the group of Southern African hedgehogs back into the wilderness where they belong.
“After weeks of round-the-clock feeding and months of dedicated care, they’ve finally swapped clinic cages and rehab enclosures for the wild bushveld of Southern Africa. As each one darts away with curious noses and hearts full of freedom, we feel confident we’ve given them the best possible start for life in the wild, healthy, free, and ready to reclaim their place in the night as tiny explorers.”
This little chaps are listed as of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They live mainly within savannah and grassland vegetation found in many different kinds of semi-arid and sub-temperate habitats. They’re primarily nocturnal, meaning that in the day they curl up in a ball under the soft cover of vegetation, and emerge again at night to forage for food. They’ve got an omnivorous diet of beetles, earwigs, grasshoppers, slugs, snails and more but they’re also partial to eggs, mice, lizards and even fungus.
Farmers often welcome them as a form of pest control against plant-raiding insects, and they’re commonly occurring characters in many African cultures. In some, spotting one is even considered a form of good luck!
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