Two Indian hedgehogs rescued from train in Delhi

Two Indian hedgehogs, found abandoned in a bag, were rescued from a train compartment at a railway station here, officials said today.

The spiny mammals are currently under the care of a wildlife NGO and they will be released back into the wild after veterinarians deem the mother and the baby fit, they said.

"The animals were found yesterday inside an unclaimed bag in a train compartment at the Sarai Rohilla railway station," Wildlife SOS said in a statement.

"A passenger informed the railway officials and then we were alerted," it added.

This was clearly a case of poaching wherein the animals were being smuggled across state borders, CEO and co-founder of Wildlife SOS Kartick Satyanarayan said.

In India, hedgehogs are hunted locally for their meat as well as for medicinal purposes because of various superstitions and myths attached to them, he said.

They are also kept as exotic pets in most countries, Satyanarayan added.

The Indian hedgehog is a nocturnal species native to India and Pakistan that lives mainly in burrows near shrubs and bushes.

Their dorsal skin and part of the sides are covered with spines that act as a defense mechanism against predators.