Three young men have been sentenced to thirty hours of public service for kicking around a hedgehog – a protected species in Poland.

Courts in Milicz, southwest Poland, has also ruled that the young men will be required to complete an online educational program about the protection of hedgehogs with the Sokol Society for Wild Animals and pay the organization a 200 zloty (about 50 euro) fine.

“They kicked it for no reason and because it was curled up in a ball, they played soccer with it. One even kicked it a distance of five metres,” stated the prosecutor in court. The men admitted to the charges of endangering a protected species.

“I hope this will teach them something about respect for animals,” stated Judge Dominik Flunt, adding that the sentence was not very strict because the young men are unemployed. (mmj)