Wedged hedgehog rescued from goalpost hole on British soccer field

May 16 (UPI) -- Animal rescuers came to the assistance of a stuck hedgehog found trapped in a goalpost hole on a soccer field.

The RSPCA said some teenagers playing on the field at Scotswood Social Club in Newcastle, England, lifted the plastic cap over a hole used for goalposts and found a hedgehog was tightly wedged in.

RSPCA inspector Jacqui Miller responded to the scene and used a thin rod normally used to close cat carriers to pry the hedgehog loose.

"I had to improvise, as I couldn't get my fingers down with gloves as he was stuck in so tightly," Miller said in a news release. "The only thing I found that I could squeeze down there was the cat carrier pole, which was thin enough. It has a loop at its end, which went neatly underneath the hedgehog's body, so I could gradually push him up."

The hedgehog was taken to Sunderland-based animal charity Pawz for Thought, where the animal was dubbed Shearer.

Shearer was examined by a veterinarian and given food and water.

The charity said Shearer will be returned to the wild once he's back to full strength.