Dubai: A parched hedgehog was lucky to have been spotted by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council.
On his official Instagram account, @faz3, Shaikh Hamdan shared pictures and video clips of the animal. His Instagram story begins with just a close-up image of the hedgehog, followed by a clip of Shaikh Hamdan offering some water to the small mammal. As he drinks the water, he can be seen relaxing and in the final clip, he is placed on the ground and seen running off into the distance.
According to National Geographic, hedgehogs are mammals that “root through hedges and other undergrowth”, searching for small creatures that compose the bulk of their diet, including insects, worms, snails, frogs and snakes.
In the UAE, the desert hedgehogs are the most prevalent. They are particularly small in size and its colour varies between dark and light.
When they feel threatened, their muscles go tight and they pull the outer layer of skin around their body. This is how the hedgehog in Shaikh Hamdan’s video seems to be reacting initially, but relaxes when Fazza gives him some water.
Today, November 14, also happens to be Shaikh Hamdan’s birthday. Tweeps have been wishing him and sharing photographs from when he was a young child since the clock struck 12 using #Fazza.
He posted a live video on his Instagram earlier today, which showed him flying a helicopter over the desert, too.
