I’ve accepted hedgehogs from a local hedgehog rescue group for release into my garden.
These have been discreetly marked whilst in care (and micro-chipped before release). I assume to keep track of who is who, and therefore which medicine they are on etc., and post-release if they present with further problems what their treatment history has been (also revealing that they do seem to hang around the release site).
(Recently my daughter came across a hedgehog near to her which was in a bad way and which I took straight to the rescue group. Instantly they knew her as ‘one of theirs’ thanks to the marking. (Unfortunately she had to be PTS, probably involved in a RTA)).
So, if you spot marked hogs, these may very well be ones released back into the ‘wild’ following a spell of treatment.
