A bright light has gone out in the world – Mr Pokee, known as the travelling hedgehog by the 1.3-million followers of an Instagram page dedicated to him, died earlier this month. His human, Talitha, shared the news in an Instagram post in early March. The happy hedgehog passed away from a bacterial infection that spread in his bloodstream.
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Mr Pokee, an African pygmy hedgehog, would have turned four in April. As pets, these animals can live up to 10 years, but their usual lifespan is between four to six years.
Mr Pokee and Talitha have travelled extensively across Europe, documenting their journeys on social media. Mr Pokee was eight weeks old when he was adopted by Talitha.
For their road trips, Talitha would pack essential items for Mr Pokee, including an alternative to his wooden terrarium: a ‘puppy stall’, which works similarly to a pop-up tent. Foldable and easy to set up, the puppy stall was just the right size for the hedgehog.
She would also pack in two hideouts, a sand bath, running plate, heating mat and thermometer. Hedgehogs cannot be in rooms colder than 18°C or they lapse into torpor, a hibernation-like state.
Talitha and Mr Pokee were never allowed to fly together, as most airlines do not allow hedgehogs in the cabin. So the pair instead took to the road to explore the continent of Europe.
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Mr Pokee lived in Germany and has travelled to Italy, Paris, Switzerland and across Scandinavia. This pair, who travelled by car, have seen some of the world’s most beautiful sites.
Talitha stated in a blog post that the reason behind creating the social media page for the hedgehog was to spread the joy that Mr Pokee brought her. She said she hoped to make people smile with her posts.
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Image source: Instagram @mr.pokee
