World’s oldest hedgehog found to be a 16-year-old in Denmark, killed by a dog

The oldest hedgehog in the world is a 16-year-old European hedgehog who has smashed the previous record held by another for seven years. The 16-year-old European hedgehog is named Thorvald and has now been crowned the oldest hedgehog in the world. The hedgehog who now holds the record, used to live near the town of Silkeborg in the centre of Denmark. However, he passed away in 2016 at the Animal Protection Denmark’s wildlife rehabilitation centre in Silkeborg. The hedgehog lost his life after being set on by a dog, one of the most common reasons for hedgehog deaths. For the study, nearly 700 dead hedgehogs were collected and studied.

Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen, from the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) at Oxford University, led the Danish Hedgehog Project that discovered Thorvaldand saidshe got extremely emotional while holding Thorvald, the hedgehog. “I cried tears of joy that I was holding an individual that lived for 16 years. That’s really good news for conservation. Under the right conditions, hedgehogs can live for 16 years, it’s amazing. All my colleagues were laughing at me because they thought I was being so emotional,” she said.

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The previous oldest hedgehog in the world was supposedly a nine-year-old female in Ireland, identified by researchers in 2014. Thorvald died after being chased by a dog and Rasmussen says it is extremely sad that the hedgehog died because of a dog after living for 16 years. She says dogs should be kept on leash or locked up at night when hedgehogs are out. “It’s very sad that he lived for so long and then died after being attacked by a dog.”

As part of the study, 400 volunteers collected almost 700 dead hedgehogs. Among the dead hedgehogs were a 13-year-old and an 11-year-old as well, according to the paper published in the journal Animals. The hedgehogs were then sent to researchers who worked out their age by counting the growth lines in their jawbones, rather like counting tree rings. Since hedgehog numbers are in decline across many European countries, the research assumed immense significance.

(With inputs from agencies)

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