A HEDGEHOG has died after being kicked and chased by a gang of teenagers in Bracknell last night. 

The incident yesterday evening saw three boys laugh as they abused the animal and it has sparked a plea from a hedgehog rescue centre for youngsters to learn to protect wildlife.

The group ran off after being approached by a resident and left the hedgehog fighting for its life in the middle of Mansten Drive, off South Hill Road. 

The gang are known for meeting up in the road and their 'boisterous' behaviour according to resident Adam Wilkinson who rushed the animal to the Happy Hedgehog Rescue run by Jayne Morgan.

Mr Wilkinson said: "I went outside to see what the noise was about, there were quite a lot of them up and down the street, they all meet up here. The three boys involved were laughing and shouting but they'd run away by the time I got to the poor thing.

"It was in a sorry state by the time I got it to the rescue.

"What they did is pointless and just mean, it's disgusting really. It can be hard to stop them when you're approaching a group, you don't know what they'll do."

An exact cause of death is hard to find out without a post mortem, something the rescue can't afford to carry out.

Despite the work of Jayne Morgan at her rescue in Yateley, the hedgehog, whose nose was bleeding heavily, died overnight. 

It is the third beaten hedgehog taken in to Ms Morgan in a matter of months with another brought to her having been pelted with stones. 

She said: "The hedgehog really suffered, it was awful. I want to urge parents and schools to make kids aware of the troubles hedgehogs are facing and to protect them. Hopefully after this we can raise some awareness of what's going on.

"I don't want to punish the boys, I want to be positive and help rehabilitate them, so I hope anyone who might know the boys to get them to come visit the rescue and see the work we do."