Forest Department officials in Sirumalai Forest Range rescued a hedgehog from an Aavin parlour near Kamarajar Central bus stand here on Tuesday.
Acting on information provided by local people, a special team, led by Forester R. Prabakaran, visited the spot and rescued the hedgehog. Later, the officials left it into the Sirumalai Reserve Forests.
The officials were puzzled with the presence of the wild animal in the city and they could not make out how it reached such a highly crowded and noisy area with no green cover at all.
Explaining about the animal’s behaviour and habits, the officials said the hedgehog ate small creatures like insects, worms, centipedes, snails and mice, and sometimes snakes.
The hedgehog had a coat of stiff and sharp spines. If attacked, it would make its body into a prickly ball to escape from its attackers. It searched for food only at night, they said.
The officials found hedgehogs in the Sirumalai Reserve Forests.
