Hedgehog thrown into river after being forced to inhale cannabis smoke

A hedgehog has been saved from drowning after being forced to inhale cannabis smoke and then thrown in a river.

It happened in Memorial Gardens in Market Harborough town centre, where witnesses saw a group of boys blowing cannabis smoke into a bag containing the hedgehog, before tipping the bag into the River Welland.

The witnesses rushed to save the partially blind hedgehog and took it home.

The hedgehog was collected by the RSPCA the following day and taken to Leicestershire Wildlife Hopsital near Kibworth for treatment.

The RSPCA say the female is being kept in an incubator and is recovering well from the incident, which happened on April 10.

Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital say this incident would have happened just as the hedgehog would have woken up from winter hibernation.

A spokesperson said: “Despite everything that has happened to her she is still fighting on - she is currently being cared for in one of our incubators."We have discovered that she is blind in one eye, and we don’t think this is in relation to the cruelty incident, so therefore she will remain in our care.“She was also covered in ticks, which we have now removed.”The RSPCA are desperately seeking more information about the incident, and are asking witnesses to call them on 0300 123 8018.