Piccadilly Gardens may be home to some weird and wonderful ‘creatures’ but not folk will have been expecting to come face-to-face with a seven-foot hedgehog today.
But those who did wander across need not panic, the sculpture has invaded central Manchester to promote Sir David Attenborough’s new TV programme.
The prickly mammals don’t usually come out of hibernation until the spring but Watch TV decided to make an exception in order to raise awareness of new wildlife show David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities.
A notice encouraged passing Mancunians to take a selfie next to the spiky sculpture in order to win a SLR Canon camera and Attenborough merchandise and the man himself is delighted with Watch’s creation.
“The hedgehog is one of Britain’s greatest natural curiosities and this sculpture is a fitting tribute to one of our most delightful species,” said Sir David Attenborough.
“The fact that a quarter of British adults have never seen a wild hedgehog suggests that we are witnessing rapidly dwindling numbers which is a concern.
“Hedgehogs have some interesting habits and play a very useful part in keeping down all kinds of insect pests.”
Bigger than a rhinoceros or a 4×4 vehicle, the structure is also 12ft long and eight foot wide and took a specialist team of sculptors over two months to design and build.
It is made from 2,000 soft wood spikes and fake fur produced from a combination of willow and coconut fibre and has been causing a stir around the country this week.
Meanwhile a spokesman for Taylor Herring PR, who have been involved in promoting David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities, also expressed a fondness for hedgehogs.
“The hedgehog is one Britain’s best-loved animals,” said Mr Leston. “So what better animal to use to promote Attenborough’s curiosities?
“They are charming creatures, they have a lot of interesting things about them and they are quite mysterious.
“In the olden days, as it were for instance, people used to think the hedgehog’s spikes were to collect apples! People were just mystified by them in terms of their spikes and why they curled up into a ball.”
Throughout the day people have been taking selfies with the Piccadilly Gardens hedgehog and here are few that have been sent to MM.
Image courtesy of James Ross via Twitter
Image courtesy of Jon Parker Lee via Twitter
Image courtesy of Jon Parker Lee via Twitter
