A sharp-eyed pilot delayed his flight’s take-off after spotting a prickly problem – a baby hedgehog on the tarmac.
The captain of the Loganair plane was taxiing to the runway in Stornoway in the Western Isles when he noticed the tiny animal in the path of the Saab 340.
He brought the aircraft to a halt and alerted the 30 passengers on board to the unusual reason for the delay in their journey to Inverness.
The 5.20pm flight on Thursday departed two minutes late, once the baby hedgehog had safely crossed the tarmac.
Neil Hughes, Loganair’s director of flight operations, said: “The captain safely avoided a prickly situation for the little hedgehog.
“Our network extends into some of Scotland’s most remote communities, so there are quite a few opportunities to see animals in the wild – and we’re always conscious to disturb them as little as possible.”
