Longacres Garden Centre

London Road, Bagshot, Surrey,

GU19 5JB

01276 476 778

HELPING THE

HEDGEHOG

Hedgehog populations are dropping dramatically in the UK, once a

common sight in hedgerows and gardens across the country; the little critters

are becoming rarer by the day. The spiny species is only the latest member of

the English wildlife to experience this kind of threat; some notable examples

include starlings and red squirrels.

A World Without Hedgehogs

According to ecologists, the hedgehog population dropped by about a

third during the period between 2003 and 2012. The People’s Trust for

Endangered Species (PTES) estimates that there are fewer than a million wild

hedgehogs in the UK, a significant drop from the two million mark they

recorded during the mid-90s.

In comparison to how other animal populations are similarly dropping in

increasingly urban areas, these are alarming figures. If the trend remains the

same, the threat of hedgehog extinction can become a real prospect as soon

as the next decade. Imagine future generations reading about Mrs. Tiggy-

Winkle in a Beatrix Potter book and having no idea what she is other than

through pictures.

Approaching the Hedgehog Cliff

The exact cause of the decline is difficult to pin down, but the

most likely reasons for the drastic fall in the hedgehog population

include human interference with their habitats. Poor management of

hedgerows, clumsy planning of roads, housing and other developments

are pushing hedgehogs into a situation that is worsening by the day.

The thing people have to watch out for is something known as habitat

fragmentation.

According to representatives of the British Hedgehog

Preservation Society, it is the inadvertent division of a hedgehog’s

habitat by human development. For example, a road can cut a

hedgehog family from its food supply, forcing the animals to either find

other sources of nourishment or live elsewhere. The absence of

hedgehogs in the local communities is more than an issue of aesthetics

– the health of the environment itself is at stake.

Without hedgehogs to eat them, parasites and worms are

experiencing a renaissance with their populations, forcing some

homeowners to resort to chemical means of control. Encouraging

hedgehog growth and population is the best way to keep a garden

healthy. Authorities are urging the public to lend their support to

projects that help keep hedgehog populations at the levels they are

meant to stay.

SOURCES:

http://ptes.org/

http://www.longacres.co.uk/

http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/