27 baby hedgehogs born in one week!

Mother hedgehog with babiesImage source, Shepreth Hedgehog Hospital
Image caption,

This is Wilma, she was rescued from a hole and she had seven hoglets in total!

Everyone loves a baby animal, right? Well, how about 27 baby hedgehogs in one week!

Shepreth Wildlife Park in Cambridgeshire has had an unprecedented amount of baby hedgehogs born (that's more than they've had before).

All 27 hoglets were born to six recused hedgehogs at the park's specialist hedgehog hospital.

The keepers say they haven't seen anything like this in the 10 years the hospital has been open.

Image source, Shepreth Hedgehog Hospital
Image caption,

These tiny babies will be reintroduced into the wild in the future

The park had rescued the six mothers, who had been injured, sick or stuck.

Their names are Florence, Wilma, Holly, Flo-Jo, Rona and Evangeline.

One had fallen in a hole and another down a well.

Image source, Shepreth Hedgehog Hospital
Image caption,

The hospital said it sometimes gets a pregnant hedgehog to look after - but never six at the same time

Park director Rebecca Willers said: "I kept getting calls over the radio saying, 'and we've got another one - and another one'."

"In the 10 years we have been operating the hospital, we have never had multiple births from rescued and injured females coming in to us - it is unprecedented."

All of the mothers and their hoglets are doing well.

After the hoglets are no longer relying on their mothers for milk, they will all go back to the wild.

It's marvellous for the hospital - we had six hedgehogs come in, and we'll be releasing 33

Rebecca Willers, Park director