Firefighters in Austria rescue plump hedgehog wedged in a gate

Frightened: The firefighters deployed heavy equipment to allow the animal to breathe
BF Graz
Eleanor Rose21 May 2019

A hedgehog prompted a major rescue operation in Austria after it became wedged in the bottom of a gate.

The "frightened" creature was freed by officers from the Graz fire brigade, who used heavy-duty equipment to prise open the bars.

Heartwarming images taken by witnesses show a plump, prickly hedgehog trapped in one of the gate's loops, unable to move backwards or forwards.

They then show firefighters loosening the metal with a hydraulic claw, a tool normally used to free people from car wrecks.

Firefighters work to free the animal with a hydraulic claw (BF Graz)

Officials said in a statement posted to Facebook: "With the help of an angle grinder and with particular care, the frightened hedgehog was finally released from its predicament."

He or she is shown being carefully lifted from the gate's twisted remains, nestled in a pair of padded gloves.

Officers then deployed an angle grinder
BF Graz

Apparently uninjured, the hedgehog was safely transferred to the custody of a local wildlife organisation.

Firefighters across Europe are periodically called to the aid of animals in distress.

Safe at last: Released from his prickly predicament

Back in February, a fat rat stuck in a manhole cover prompted a major rescue operation in Germany as firefighters were called in to free it.

A team of at least nine people attended to free the rotund rodent from its situation in the town of Bensheim.

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