"It's still alive, go on do it again": Teens set fire to defenseless hedgehog

UNITED KINGDOM -- A hedgehog suffered a slow and almost certain painful death after being deliberately tortured by a group of youths in Cornwall, a vet has said.

It was rescued by a member of the public behind Higher Fore Street, Redruth, on Wednesday evening.

Veterinary surgeon Sharon Stevens said the otherwise healthy young adult animal had been sprayed with an aerosol and set alight.

"We see enough horrible things, but this is simply inexcusable," she said.

The animal died moments before arriving at the emergency veterinary treatment center, CVets.

The vet said the woman who rescued the hedgehog heard and witnessed the "sustained" attack on the defenseless creature, but was too scared to confront the youths on her own.

"She heard the boys shouting 'it's still alive, go on do it again' and they knew what they were doing," Ms. Stevens told BBC News.

"If it had been a cat, it could have fought back, but all a defenseless hedgehog can do is curl up in a ball.

"It was in the wrong place at the wrong time and has suffered this horrible attack. All its spines were burned and it would have suffered badly."

The vet said she wanted to speak out in the hope of preventing this type of horrific attack happening again. I just hope those boys feel sorry and ashamed of what they've done," she added.

The incident has been reported to the RSPCA and Devon and Cornwall Police.

(BBC - Aug 15, 2015)