An animal welfare charity is appealing for information after a hedgehog was allegedly shot with an air gun.
RSPCA Cymru says the hedgehog was found in a garden in Pembrokeshire on Saturday 23 March.
It was found wandering around a garden on Pembroke Road, Haverfordwest, during the day.
A concerned resident contacted the local hedgehog rescue centre Pembrokeshire Hogspital.
Ginny Batt, who runs the centre, found an injury on the animal’s neck and shoulder area.
Ms Batt took the hedgehog to the vet on the following Monday where she discovered it had been shot.
The vet believes the incident happened around a week earlier and may have been deliberate.
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“The pellet missed his head and caught the shoulder,” said Ms Batt.
“There was no bone injury but the impact had dislocated his shoulder.”
The vet recommended the hedgehog be euthanised on welfare grounds.
Ms Batt called the RSPCA to report the incident, and the charity is now investigating.
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RSPCA Inspector Keith Hogben said it was “very sad to think about how this hedgehog may have suffered”.
“At the moment we don’t know if this attack was accidental or deliberate so we hope an appeal for information will help with our enquiries,” he said.