Help the hedgehog

 

 
                                              

The hedgehog needs our help!

Wherever we are, there's something we can do to help hedgehogs. 

Urban landscapes are becoming more important to the hedgehog; so the the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the People's Trust for Endangered Species launched Hedgehog Street, to encourage people in urban areas to join forces and do what they can to help these comical animals.

But wherever you live, you can make a difference. 

Useful resources:

Visit the British Hedgehog Preservation Society

Join Hedgehog Street

Go to the People's Trust for Endangered Species
Reasons for the hedgehog's decline & steps you can take to help stop it:

  1. A loss of hedgerows and rough field edges - there are fewer foraging areas close to field edges. The Woodland Trust has a tree-mendous gift called "The hedge fund - with guaranteed results".  The hedge fund provides shelter and plentiful food and helps the Woodland Trust us to plant 10m of hedgerow - the perfect hedgehog home!
  2. Pesticides have killed off many insects, the food supply for hedgehogs. If you find a hedgehog, put out some cat and dog food rather than bread and milk - the latter isn't good for a hedgehog's tummy
  3. A loss of suitable gardens in urban areas. Our gardens are too tidy, paved over and too cut off from each other so that hedgehogs can't go from one to another. So one free step you can take is to leave your garden in a mess - or some of it, anyway. 

Garden Wildlife Direct has a number of hedgehog houses plus hedgehog food
Garden Wildlife Direct has a number of hedgehog houses plus hedgehog food

Join hedgehog surveys

You can also help with surveys - they are vital because they can identify problems with wildlife numbers while there is still time to take action to help them. The PTES has surveys you can join in with, and you can also download Mammals on Roads iphone App.

Finally, if you really want to get active for hedgehogs, there are some more ways you can help hedgehogs here.   The most important thing to do is to make sure hedgehogs can get from one garden to a another - they just need a hole that's 13cm x 13cm to get through.  Get your neighbours to join forces and give the hedgehogs in your area their own hedgehog highway so that they can get from one garden to another.

You can report hedgehog sightings here, and also if you can put a hole in your garden fence, please add it to Hedgehog Street's map. 

 There are some delightful Christmas cards available from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society's online shop
There are some delightful Christmas cards available 
from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society's online shop,
plus great gifts for hedgehog lovers!
Find out more