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Honey the hedgehog, who was cruelly painted in Leeds United colours by football hooligans, has died, an animal shelter announced in a heartbreaking update today.
The adult female hedgehog had been found inside a woman's home in Yeadon, Leeds, on July 13, covered in yellow and blue paint.
The paint meant that the spiky mammal was unable to curl up into a ball and was left with breathing problems due to the fumes from the paint.
She was taken in by Prickly Pigs Hedgehog Rescue in Otley, Leeds, but despite being scrubbed to remove the oil-based paint from each individual spine and administered pain relief, she passed away.
Four men were arrested over the weekend on suspicion of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal under Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act of 2006.
The owner of the animal shelter, Diane Cook, announced the sad news today that Honey had died after the 'appalling' act.
She said: 'To say that I'm devastated is an understatement and I just cannot believe, or understand, what some people are capable of doing to any living thing.
'We are still working with the local police so cannot share any more details about her.'
Honey the hedgehog (pictured) has sadly passed away after being covered in blue and yellow paint
An animal shelter took her in and had to scrub the paint off, as well as administering pain relief
Owner of animal shelter Prickly Pigs Hedgehog Rescue in Otley, Leeds, Diane Cook, described the incident as 'appalling'
West Yorkshire Police's Wildlife and Rural Crime team have launched an investigation and said that four men aged 44, 21, 17 and 15 were arrested over the weekend.
Police said that all four men have been bailed for further enquiries to take place.
A spokesperson for the force said: 'Four arrests have been made after a hedgehog was sprayed blue in the Yeadon area, Leeds.
'Over the weekend four men aged 44, 21, 17 and 15 were arrested on suspicion of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal contrary to Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
'All four have been bailed for further enquiries to take place.
'Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or use the Live Chat option on our website quoting reference 13260401913.
'Information can also be given anonymously to the independent Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.'
Ms Cook, 51, who runs the shelter from her converted garage, said the paint was so 'thick and tough it had glued her spines together'.
The animal lover also said the paint was similar to emulsion used for decorating or even marking road surfaces.
Only the front of the hedgehog's face, stomach and legs had been left untouched, leading rescuers to believe that she had been deliberately targeted, as opposed to accidentally brushing against wet paint.
Ms Cook said: 'I know from some comments that people have found what happened to her funny or commented that she's 'only a hedgehog', but it does not matter.'
'It is cruel and a completely unnecessary death. When are people going to stop and think about their actions and the impact they are having on nature?'
Ms Cook said she was questioning whether she could continue running the centre following the tragedy.
She said: 'It's times like this when I wonder what is the point of running the rescue. It's a 24/7 job 365 days a year.'
Hedgehogs are in decline and are now listed as 'vulnerable' on Britain's red list of mammals.
According to the latest State of Britain's hedgehogs report, numbers of hedgehogs have fallen by up to 30 per cent in urban areas and 50 per cent in rural areas since the turn of the century.