Small Creatures, Big Hearts: One Trans Man's Mission to Save Britain's Hedgehogs
James Miller never imagined his garden shed would become a wildlife hospital. But when you find a dying hedgehog covered in ticks at 2 AM, covered in wounds and barely breathing, you don't think about plans. You act.
"I heard this sound," James recalls. "My geese were going absolutely mental. When I went outside with my torch, there it was, this tiny ball of spines, barely moving, absolutely covered in these massive ticks."
That night changed everything.
The First Rescue: A Learning Curve
James, a 34-year-old former veterinary assistant from Somerset, had just started his transition two years earlier. He'd left his job in London to buy a small cottage with land, seeking peace and a fresh start. What he found was purpose.
That first hedgehog, he named her Daisy, was in critical condition. The ticks were so large and numerous they'd drained much of her blood. James knew basic animal care from his vet assistant days, but hedgehogs were new territory.
"I spent the entire night researching online, calling wildlife helplines, watching YouTube tutorials," he says. "The heat therapy for tick removal was terrifying. You have to warm them just enough that they release from pain, but not hurt the hedgehog. My hands were shaking the entire time."
For five days, James disinfected wounds, administered medicinal baths for the smaller ticks hidden between Daisy's spines, and hand-fed her with a syringe. He gave her anti-inflammatory injections and deworming medicine. He barely slept.
On day five, Daisy ate solid food. On day seven, she was released back into the wild.
James cried watching her waddle away into the hedgerow.
From One to Many: The Little Prickles Sanctuary
Word spreads in small communities. Within months, James's phone number was being passed around Somerset like a secret code. Injured hedgehog? Call James. Baby hedgehogs orphaned? James will know what to do.
"I never planned to run a rescue," James admits. "But hedgehogs are in serious decline in Britain. We've lost nearly half the population in just twenty years. When people started bringing them to me, I couldn't say no."
The garden shed became a proper facility. James invested his savings into heating lamps, medical supplies, and custom-built recovery enclosures. He connected with veterinarians who donated time and medicine. He learned everything: treating lungworm, managing hedgehog hibernation, dealing with fly strike injuries.
The Trans Experience: Finding Himself Through Helping Others
James's journey as a trans man intersects beautifully with his rescue work. Both involve patience, care, and the courage to help something vulnerable become whole.
"Transitioning taught me about resilience," James reflects. "These hedgehogs: they're fighters. They survive against ridiculous odds. They're hit by cars, attacked by dogs, poisoned by pesticides, but they keep going. There's something deeply relatable about that struggle."
The parallel isn't lost on him. Just as hedgehogs need safe spaces to heal and grow, trans people need supportive environments to become their authentic selves. James's rescue has become both: a sanctuary for injured wildlife and a personal space where he's fully himself, no questions asked.
His transition also sparked unexpected connections. Other LGBTQ+ people in the area have volunteered, finding community while helping hedgehogs. The rescue has become an inadvertent safe space: a place where difference is celebrated and every creature gets a second chance.
The Daily Reality: Long Hours and Small Victories
Running a hedgehog rescue isn't glamorous. James wakes at 5 AM for feeding rounds. There are wounds to clean, medications to administer, weights to record. Some hedgehogs arrive beyond saving: those nights are the hardest.
"People think it's all cute hedgehog videos," James says. "But there's heartbreak. There are hedgehogs we lose. There are injuries so severe you know they won't make it, but you try anyway because they deserve that chance."
But there are victories too. Like Winston, who arrived with a broken leg and was released three months later, running full speed. Or Marsha and Sylvia: named after the Stonewall icons: twin orphans who James hand-raised from pinkie size.
"Every release is a celebration," James says. "Every hedgehog that waddles back into the wild is proof that small actions matter. That one person can make a difference."
The Bigger Picture: Conservation and Community
James's work extends beyond individual rescues. He speaks at local schools about hedgehog conservation, teaches people to make their gardens hedgehog-friendly, and campaigns against pesticide use. He's created "hedgehog highways": small holes in fences that let hedgehogs roam freely between gardens.
His social media has become surprisingly popular. Videos of hedgehogs eating mealworms, taking baths, or simply snuffling around have attracted thousands of followers. It's become a platform for both wildlife education and LGBTQ+ visibility.
"I never set out to be a 'trans hedgehog rescuer,'" James laughs. "But representation matters. If a young trans person sees me doing this work and thinks, 'I could do something meaningful too,' then that's as important as saving hedgehogs."
Stories That Inspire: Why LGBTQ+ Narratives Matter
James's story is one of many incredible LGBTQ+ lives making a difference. At Read with Pride, we celebrate these narratives: the everyday heroes whose courage, compassion, and authenticity change the world in small but profound ways.
Whether through gay romance books that explore love in all its forms, MM fiction that centers queer joy and resilience, or LGBTQ+ literature that tells our diverse stories, representation creates possibility. James's hedgehog rescue shows that being authentically yourself isn't just personally liberating: it creates space for others to thrive too.
Explore our collection of LGBTQ+ ebooks and queer fiction at dickfergusonwriter.com. From MM romance to gay contemporary fiction, every story matters. Every voice counts.
How You Can Help: Supporting Wildlife and LGBTQ+ Causes
Inspired by James's work? Here's how you can make a difference:
For hedgehogs:
- Create hedgehog highways in your garden fences
- Avoid pesticides and slug pellets
- Leave wild areas with leaf piles for nesting
- Check before strimming long grass
- Provide shallow water dishes
For LGBTQ+ community:
- Support LGBTQ+-owned businesses and creators
- Read and share gay books and queer literature
- Amplify trans voices and experiences
- Create inclusive spaces in your communities
James's Little Prickles Sanctuary runs entirely on donations and volunteer work. It's a testament to what's possible when one person decides to act, to care, to create change one small creature at a time.
"I'm just a bloke with some hedgehogs," James says modestly. But he's so much more: a conservationist, an activist, a symbol of trans resilience, and proof that the smallest acts of kindness ripple outward in ways we can't always measure.
His hedgehogs know it. The community knows it. And now you do too.
Discover more inspiring LGBTQ+ stories and content:
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