My friend Cindi Ellison is the animal whisperer with some different pets than the norm in her home. One of her favorites is the hedgehog, which has now been voted the German “Animal of the Year 2024.”
Cindi Ellison with her pet hedgehog, Carl!
Cindi tells us, “The brown-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), which is widespread throughout most of Germany, clearly beat the squirrel and the red fox, according to the German Wildlife Foundation.
“It’s just as cute as the ones that I own, although all three of mine are African Pygmy hedgies.”
There are 17 species of hedgehogs found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and New Zealand but none native to Australia or the Americas where one genus was once present in North America but is now extinct.
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