Hedgehog dies because researchers attached so many trackers it couldn't curl into a ball

Animal welfare groups have criticised wildlife researchers who attached so many trackers to a hedgehog it was unable to curl up and later died.

Charities said scientists left the hedgehog, called Russet, looking like a "bad joke" after they fixed 26 markers to his spines and a radio tracker on his back.

Pictures show the critter covered in huge, brightly coloured antennae and with a transmitter strapped to his back when he was found on June 17.

Hedgehogs have no distinctive markings so researchers glue fluorescent markers to the rodents to identify them in studies.

But the Nottingham Trent University survey of the abundance of hedgehogs in Southwell, Nottinghamshire left Russet dehydrated, underweight and with broken toes on one foot.

It eventually died despite attempts to treat him by Lynda Britchford, from Oxton Wild Hedgehog Rehab.

"Having been presented with the hog, to be honest it looked like someone's idea of a bad joke," she said.

"The coloured sleeves are attached in groups of 10, so Russet would have had 30 attached. The time it would take to attach 30 of those with a heat gun would be quite stressful for the hog.

"The researchers said they checked Russet every three to four days, that is a very long time.

"Russet was admitted weighing 437g, but according to the researcher the tracker was fitted on June 6 and he weighed 243g then.

"By my calculations he lost 28 percent of his bodyweight in eight days, that didn't happen overnight.

"It may be that if he had been checked on sooner his poor condition would have been spotted and he would have become less critically unwell as he was on admission."

Russet also had mange, severe colitis and intestinal fluke and he was unable to curl up following the research.

The method of attaching heat-shrinking plastic to hedgehogs spines has been used since 2004 and scientists claim it is like adding hair extensions to humans.

Caroline Gould from Vale Wildlife Hospital said: "Vale is totally against studies such as this.

"The tracker is far too big and will almost certainly cause problems, get entangled or prevent the hedgehog from getting through or under hedges, gates, fences and sheds.

"It should not be legal to use these on hedgehogs."

In a statement, the RSPCA said: "We feel that the number of coloured tags, and the fact that they are longer than the spines they are attached to, may present problems, although we have no evidence for this."

But the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) has defended the study, which it part funded, claiming it couldn't have interfered with the well-being of hedgehogs.

Nottingham Trent University said: "The animal is completely unhindered and able to go about its activities - such as feeding and breeding - in the usual way.

"Research is crucial to furthering our understanding of the threats hedgehogs face and to develop appropriate responses to those."