Hedgehogs on Autumn Watch

[angieh]

Did anyone see the programme yesterday? The piece that I found most interesting, and worrying, was the plight of the hedgehogs' second litter which are underweight for hibernation and will die if they are not cared for.

Truth - I know you are particularly fond of these lovely animals - how did your interview go?

[truthisouthere]

Yes, went ok, thanks angie. Although I did get a mental block at times and felt it went awful, I pity the editor! I'm still waiting for the reporter to let me know when it will be aired. I may contact her, hope it's not gone out already and I've missed it. I would have thought they would have aired it to coincide with Bonfire night as that's an opportunity to warn peeps about the added dangers of hibernating hogs amongst the log pile.

The plight of hedgehogs is a very real one, and I really don't see how they can survive another few years..having fostered them for the past 15 years they are such sweet and extremely vulnerable animals, and indigenous to the British Countryside. There is so much against them with this species and what it is doing to their already depleting eco-system, it really saddens me that it really could be too little, too late for the dear hedgehog.

[dandysmom]

I didn't realize they were that endangered. Is there no possibility of starting a breeding program so they can be re-introduced to the wild after a sufficient stock is built up, as we did with the black footed ferrets and whooping cranes here?

[truthisouthere]

We have been letting the ones who are unable to go back to the wild to live and breed in select carers gardens. No hedgehog is pts. The major brick wall we are up against is that there are now no safe places for hedgehogs. Tags on them have shown that most live only 3 months or so after release, even though every step has been taken to ensure they have their coping skills for the wild and are up to speed in every other way. There is no safe place to release them, and yes, dandysmom we are coming to the stark conclusion that the only place you can see hedgehogs in the British Isles in the future is in 'captivity'.

[dandysmom]

Forests? Nature reserves? What are the main causes of the deaths? It seems horrid to think of no more hedgehogs!

[Squirrel]

Poor little hodge hegs. That's horrible.

[truthisouthere]

Originally Posted by dandysmom

Forests? Nature reserves? What are the main causes of the deaths? It seems horrid to think of no more hedgehogs!

Hedgehogs don't live and thrive in coniferous woodland, high ground, mountainous, or wet areas. They are periphery animals, that is they live in hedges and around fields and dwellings. If you put a hedgehog in the middle of a room it will go all around the skirting board or under furniture (log pile and shelter). Hedges are great shelter for all animals, sparrows won't feed unless it's near a hedge or large shrub for shelter and protection.

There are many causes of death to hedgehogs, most causes have been around for as long as hedgehogs have been on this earth but the trouble now is many of the threats are being compounded by the loss of their habitat. E.G: Badgers, foxes, and hogs all share the same eco-system and eat the same food. The hedgehog is at the bottom of the food chain here and stress is further compounded by the fact that destruction of their land for buliding developments is forcing them to live closer together than ever before, thus giving the fox and badger more need to find food where it can, ..the hedgehog. The badger is now in danger of being persecuted for being a survivor in these harsh times. Knowing badgers as I do a cull will only give the badgers more room and more food to go around and more space to rebuild strong clans again. The badger is merely a scapegoat for the decimation mankind is making of Britain by building and landfill.

I digress! What is the main hedgehog killer, and why the sharp decline now? Mainly loss of habit, people wanting too tidy gardens, and slug pellets not only get in the food chain but make hedgehogs infertile, NOT good..I urge everyone, for the sake of nature to leave slugs and snails alone, pick them up in a bucket and tip them over the field, don't waste a life which is a valuable food source for our songbirds..Also 50,000 hogs a year get killed crossing roads in search of food, many are heavily pregnant or have young in the nest and just can't get along that fast. There are also horrendous accidents with strimmers each year with entire features being stripped off a snoozing hedgehog, these have to be pts..We are paving our front gardens over more than ever, brick walls are being put up instead of natural hedge boundaries which make it hard for a hog to get from garden to garden to get food or find a mate..Many things.

What can we do?
Leave a corner of your garden wild, plant a hedge, make holes at bottom of fences to allow them to travel and get what they need, buy a hibernaculum and put it in a sheltered shady corner of your garden, keep a look out for any autumn juveniles that are too small (under 350g) to make it through the winter months, keep an eye out for any hogs seen wandering around on a hot summer's day, or anytime in the day, they will be very ill..Check for signs of hogs in your garden (little sausage shape droppings) and make sure they have what they need, clean water in every garden, put some cat biscuits (not fish based) out for them, make it a friendly garden! Do all you can, they are such under-rated animals, it really will be a case of 'you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone'. Sorry for the long post!

[angieh]

Please don't apologise for the long post Truth - very informative, thanks. On Autumn Watch they said that a hedgehog under 600g won't survive hibernation ..... did they exaggerate do you think?

[dandysmom]

Thanks for that disheartening informative post, Truth; I see the problem now, and it does seem as if the dire predictions will come true. Habitat loss is the primary cause that's causing others, nothing really can be done about that as long as mankind seems intent on paving everything over..... big sigh.

[alexgirl73]

Oh wow, that really makes for distressing reading I would love to have some hedgehogs in my garden. It's big enough, a lovely big hedge along one side, loads of hideyholes and could easily put in a hibernaculum for wintering. I know we have had some in the past, but I haven't seen any for a few years now. Is there anyway to put my name forward to help out with these wonderful animals?