 |
| Tom Oakes and workers from Archer Window Cleaning rescue a hedgehog they found drowning in the Ashton canal. Click to enlarge. |
Window cleaners to the rescue as they save drowning hedgehog: A group of window cleaners helped get a hedgehog out of a prickly situation - by saving it from drowning. Seven workers were cleaning the windows of an apartment block in Ancoats when they spotted the animal in distress in the Ashton canal. Despite being on a deadline to finish the work, the men downed tools and used their own extendable poles to fish it out of the water.
Chris Oakes, 44, who runs Archer Window Cleaners, said: “One of the lads spotted something in the water and he thought it might be a turtle or something at first. “But when we got a bit closer we realised it was a little hedgehog. “It was really small so can’t have been very old. “It was on the far bank of the canal from us and it was trapped under some trees hanging over the canal. “It kept going under the water and looked like it was in trouble. “I know hedgehogs can swim but this one definitely wouldn’t have got out. “We couldn’t reach it so we got some of our extendable poles and managed to get him to crawl onto it. “Once we got him out we rang the RSPCA but they told us to take him to the vet.”
Chris Oakes, 44, who runs Archer Window Cleaners, said: “One of the lads spotted something in the water and he thought it might be a turtle or something at first. “But when we got a bit closer we realised it was a little hedgehog. “It was really small so can’t have been very old. “It was on the far bank of the canal from us and it was trapped under some trees hanging over the canal. “It kept going under the water and looked like it was in trouble. “I know hedgehogs can swim but this one definitely wouldn’t have got out. “We couldn’t reach it so we got some of our extendable poles and managed to get him to crawl onto it. “Once we got him out we rang the RSPCA but they told us to take him to the vet.”
 |
| The spikey critter is expected to make a full recovery. Click to enlarge. |
After rescuing it, Chris and his team, including his son Tom, 25, handed the animal over to a vet in Salford. They have been given the good news that it is recovering well from its ordeal and they plan to collect it tomorrow from the surgery (FRI) before releasing it back into the wild. Chris said: “It was obviously a bit of surprise, we didn’t expect to have to do something like that. “We had a deadline to hit but it’s a living thing so you can’t just leave it. “We had no hesitation in trying to save it. We’re just glad it’s okay.”
Archer window cleaners at the Vets tonight collecting "Archer" the Hedgehog. The hedgehog will be released later tonight near lots of fieldsilled
with bushes, shrubs, trees and will hopefully have a little more luck.
No comments:
Post a Comment