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An animal charity has offered a four figure sum for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of heartless abusers who set a hedgehog alight in Plymouth. Last week PlymouthLive reported on the appeal by officers from the Devonport and West Neighbourhood policing team who had been alerted to the appalling incident.
They explained on their social media page that they had received several reports after the remains of a deceased hedgehog were located at the entrance to Ham Woods on the morning of Sunday 31 July. The police stated that “tragically, the animal was identified to have injuries consistent with being set alight.”
As a consequence, they issued an appeal for information and said those responsible would be ‘dealt with robustly’. Soon after the publication of the report, PlymouthLive was contacted by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society who added their voice to the police appeal, saying they were “appalled to read the horrific story about the poor hedgehog found in a woodland near Plymouth, which appeared to have been burnt and killed”.
They lamented “the pain and suffering this poor animal must have gone through is unimaginable” and noted that this came at a time when the hedgehog population was “in such serious decline”. They have now been joined by animal activist charity PETA who have offered up to £3,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for setting a hedgehog on fire.
PETA Vice President Elisa Allen told PlymouthLive: “It’s imperative that any community faced with a cruel and callous act such as this take measures to find the culprit and bring them to justice. Animal abusers are a danger to everyone: they take their issues out on whomever is available to them – humans or other animals – and must be caught before they act again.”
PETA went on to note that history had shown that past incidents involving cruelty to animals regularly appear in the records of serial rapists and murderers.
Young killers Mary Bell, Robert Thompson, and Jon Venables; murderers Ian Huntley, Thomas Hamilton (the Dunblane massacre), and Raoul Moat; and serial killers Fred West, Dennis Nilsen, and Ian Brady all started out by deliberately harming animals.
If you witnessed the incident or have any information that could assist with the police’s inquiries, please contact them via their website or by calling 101 quoting crime reference number 50250197745.
Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at its website or by calling freephone number 0800 555111.
