Two hedgehogs have been rescued after being sprayed with neon paint in separate incidents in the same town.

A passer-by found a female hedgehog in Zeist that had been marked with bright yellow paint last weekend.

The prickly mammal was taken to Stichting Snorhaar, a sanctuary for small creatures such as rabbits and hedgehogs, where it is said to be making a good recovery.

Stef Arens, who runs the sanctuary, said it was clear from the striped pattern of the paint marks that the hedgehog had been deliberately targeted.

“She’s very stressed. It’s obviously ridiculous that somebody is walking around who thinks it’s fun to mistreat animals in this way,” he said.

In August a woman in Zeist found a hedgehog in her garden that had been sprayed with red and green paint.

Arens also said on that occasion that it appeared to be a deliberate act of vandalism.

He was able to remove the paint through a painstaking process: “First we sprayed it witth a mixture of water and skin oil, then we used a toothbrush to clean the spikes one by one.”