“It was devastating – but it’s created so much traction people will have to realise it’s not acceptable behaviour and you are going to get caught and punished in some way or another,” Cook said.
When Honey was taken to the rescue centre, Cook and volunteers had to painstakingly scrape the paint off each spike but she struggled to breathe and could not curl into into a defensive ball.
Cook said: “It hit us hard, the fact that she died by the direct result of the things that people had done to her – that was what made it so heartbreaking.
“Wildlife don’t have their own voice, not like cats and dogs that have owners to stand up for them.”
Since Honey died, a fundraising page has been set up to help Prickly Pigs Hedgehog Rescue and has reached about £5,500 in donations so far.
Cook, who launched her rescue centre during lockdown, said the money will be used to invest in a bigger, more suitable facility, which is currently located in her garage.
She also said she and her husband, who helps at the centre, have been inundated with hedgehog food parcels, boxes of equipment and messages from well-wishers who had heard of Honey’s plight.
