It is six years since animal lovers Jacqui and Peter Morrell set up the HAPPY hedgehog rescue centre in Ripon.
Since 2014, they have saved the lives of hundreds of the endanger creatures through Hedgehog Appreciation Prickly Pals Yorkshire – an acronym that Jacqui thought up on a day out in Scarborough.
From that trip to the coast, the couple could hardly have expected the demand that there would be for their services, which have seen them involved in the rescue of up to 1,000 hedgehogs.
Jacqui told the Stray Ferret:
“We get calls day and night from people in many parts of the country who have found an injured or poorly hedgehog. If they are calling from somewhere that is a long way from Ripon, we refer them to the hedgehog rescue centre that is closest to them.”
HAPPY is part of a nationwide network of hedgehog rescue and preservation organisations and Jacqui and Peter can also refer callers to centres in Italy and Cyprus if required.
In good hands – a hoglet that is being looked after by HAPPY
The need for these organisations has increased year on year. In July The International Union for the Conservation of Nature put hedgehogs on its Red List for British Mammals classified as being ‘vulnerable to extinction’.
It is ironic that the announcement should come in a summer when rescue centres across the UK have had fears for their own survival, as fundraising and awareness events, including Hedgehog Awareness Week in May, were cancelled because of the coronavirus crisis.
Jacqui, pointed out:
“We feel we are the forgotten victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the fact that the need for our services has increased.”
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HAPPY, which is registered with the British Hedgehog Society, has achieved a 75% success rate in the rehabilitation and return to the wild of creatures that are among the country’s best-loved animals.
Jacqui and Peter, who have become skilled in the care and treatment of the animals in the HAPPY Hogspital Unit and the hedgehog hotel they have created in their garden, are thankful for the support received from Bondgate Pet Supplies, Bishopton Vets practice and the Ripon community.
With fundraising activities such as talks to community groups currently suspended, the need for help in cash and kind continues and anybody who would like to help them in their work can find out more on the HAPPY Facebook page.
