Meet the woman behind Forth Hedgehog Hospital that has saved more than 2,500 animals

A woman who founded a hedgehog hospital a decade ago has now rescued more than 2,500 - and released them back into the wild.

Nadia Al-Dujaili opened the Forth Hedgehog Hospital in 2014 in Rosyth, Fife, after leaving her job at a Scottish SPCA wildlife hospital due to ill health.

She had begun the process in 2012, during her absence from work, registering as a charity and gathering the equipment required to treat the hedgehogs from Edinburgh and Fife.

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Through funding from donations, car boot sales, and craft sales, Nadia turned her home and garden into a hedgehog hospital - where she now takes in around 200 of the animals per year, nursing them back to health before releasing them into the wild.

She works closely with a vet, who is equally passionate about the welfare of hedgehogs.

"I got started because I had previously worked for the Scottish SPCA for five years," said Nadia, "I was based at their wildlife centre, so I looked after British wildlife.

"I was ill for a couple of years after that and had to take a break, and that's when I planned the hospital.

"Planning for this dream kept me going when I was really ill. It was just a dream at that point, and now ten years later, I've got to where I am!"

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Members of the public bring injured hedgehogs to Nadia from around Fife and Edinburgh - including a male with an injured foot, who was brought in on May 1.

He was brought to the hospital after getting his hind leg caught in an improperly set up rat trap.

"This one had an injured foot - someone hadn't set up a rat trap properly and a hedgehog got into it instead of a rat and had part of its foot chopped off," she said.

"I was cleaning the wound with antiseptic solution to keep it clean and wash out any bacteria from the wound."

Nadia hopes to be able to release him back into the wild - but believes the public should be doing more to keep hedgehogs safe.
She says the number one way to know if a hedgehog needs help is if it comes out during the day.

"They should not be out during the day - any hedgehog that is out during the day is poorly and it needs help. It will have some kind of injury, either externally or internally," said Nadia.

"In the summer, we get a lot of them in with dehydration, and that can be avoided simply by people putting out a bowl of water.
"Badgers are their only natural predator. Their main threat is us - we're changing their environments by putting up houses and more roads."

After ten years of rescuing hedgehogs, and releasing over 2,500 back into the wild, Nadia is still overwhelmed by the response to her work.

"I don't often have much belief in myself, and I can't believe it's actually happened," she said.

"Ten years later, I've got to where I am - and it's bigger than ever.

"And the happy ending is that the hedgehogs can go back as healthy, happy hedgehogs that can survive in the wild."