A Malaysian veterinarian has taken to her TikTok and Twitter account to share a video of a hedgehog that was neglected by its owner.
The 1-minute video shows the hedgehog’s body up close and revealed the poor condition of the little creature.
According to Dr Ima, the hedgehog was in a really bad condition as it suffered from generalised skin problem, dehydration and a lack of food.
The hedgehog had apparently been surrendered to one of Dr Ima’s clients (who then brought it to the clinic) after being neglected for a period of time by its owner.
“Already sick, passed to someone else just like that. Very irresponsible!”
At the clinic, Dr Ima gave the hedgehog some fluids to help with the animal’s dehydration and some soft food.
Plea to the public
In the post’s caption, Dr Ima passionately pleaded the public to not keep pets if one is unable to take good care of their pets.
“This is animal cruelty!”
In her tweet, she also asserts that, “Having pets is a life-long commitment. They are not toys! They are beings! They are lives!”
Having pets is a long-life commitment laaa..
They are not toys! They are beings! They are Lives!
???
— dr.ima_vet (@drimavet) June 5, 2022
The Twitter thread has provoked interest in netizens about hedgehogs and the practice of keeping pets in general.
In response to a concerned netizen asking if the hedgehog was up for adoption, someone shared a link to ‘Hedgehog Care Malaysia’, a non-profit that houses rescue hedgehogs and helps the spiky animals look for new forever homes.
A number of netizens were also curious about having hedgehogs as pets in general.
They asked questions such as whether it is illegal to keep them as pets, what to feed them, how to clean them, how the hedgehog in the video came to be in such bad condition and how to prevent it.
One netizen also felt that being incapable of caring for the animal is just one factor to consider in getting pets.
“Pets who were bought during the lonely days of MCO or working from home are now neglected or abandoned because their owners who have to now go back to working in the office, have suddenly ‘become busy corporate workers‘ again.”
Watch the video below:
Watch on TikTok
What other factors do you think need to be considered when keeping pets? Let us know in the comments!
Also read: M’sians Are Divided Over Dog Owners Bringing Their Pets To Public Park In Penang
