A plump hedgehog who got stuck in a gate in Austria had to be cut free by firefighters using heavy-duty equipment.
It got trapped in an awkward position half way after trying to wriggle through the bottom bars.
Graz fire brigade used hydraulic claws, normally used to help cut people out of cars, to prise apart the bars of the gate.
An angle grinder then sliced through the gate and freed the hedgehog from its prickly predicament.
The hedgehog had made an optimistic attempt to get through the gap. Pic: Facebook/ berufsfeuerwehrundsicherheit
Hydraulic claws and an angle grinder set it free. Pic: Facebook/ berufsfeuerwehrundsicherheit
Firefighters posted pictures of the last week’s delicate rescue on their Facebook page and said the animal appeared uninjured and was handed over to an animal association.
The hedgehog’s escape comes just a few months after firefighters in Germany rescued a rat who had become wedged in a manhole cover.
