A 17-year-old girl was arrested and charged with theft under $5,000 after she allegedly took a hedgehog from a local pet store earlier this week.
The teen can't be named, as she is a young offender. She was released on a promise to appear in January.
With sonic speed, news of a stolen hedgehog circulated through social media in Greater Sudbury this week, reaching 61,429 people as of Friday afternoon.
The owner of the Northern Exotics pet store, Dennis Epp, posted a video of the suspected thief, hoping to identify her. Commenters took no time in making her identity known.
“This is so frustrating for us,” said Epp, following the theft. “They are living animals, and who knows how they are being cared for. We are really worried as the cold is especially bad for hedgehogs.”
He said he knows the teen suspect, saying she had stolen from his shop a few months earlier. To his knowledge, she sold the hedgehog, so he still doesn't know where it is. He's hoping whomever bought it will contact him. He's more concerned for the hedgehog's safety and said he'll work with the person to make sure it's OK.
"We feel responsible for the hedgehog, and we take its well-being seriously," Epp said.
As a small business owner, Epp said they cannot keep having people steal from them.
Epp said their main focus is their animal sanctuary, where they take in unwanted exotic animals and educate the public on good and bad pet choices. However, theft greatly affects their ability to care for the more than 100 animals under their care.
“When animals are adopted through our store, we have a chance to inform the person about the needs of the animals,” Epp said. “Most importantly, if it isn't a good situation, like an impulse buy, we can refuse to sell an animal, which we have done many times, or guide them to a better choice.”
