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British hedgehogs are now officially vulnerable to extinction, here's how you can help save them

A vast pile of leaves and sticks looks like a five-star hotel to the UK's hedgehogs, but we have other ideas on Guy Fawkes night  - Getty Images
A vast pile of leaves and sticks looks like a five-star hotel to the UK's hedgehogs, but we have other ideas on Guy Fawkes night - Getty Images

According to the newly-published International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, British hedgehogs, among other species including the water vole, hazel dormouse, and wildcat, are at risk of extinction.

Compiled by Fiona Mathews, a professor of Environmental Biology at the University of Sussex, each mammals' case is assessed by population, the geographical range, fragmentation, decline or fluctuation, how small the population is and whether there is any quantitative analysis of extinction risk.

"The new Red List provides a very clear basis for prioritising funding and conservation efforts for the future. Twenty species — those classed as Threatened, Near Threatened, and Data Deficient — all need urgent attention," she told Helena Horton of The Telegraph.

"While we bemoan the demise of wildlife in other parts of the world, here in Britain we are managing to send even rodents towards extinction. Things have to change rapidly if we want our children and grandchildren to enjoy the wildlife we take for granted."

For many, it comes as no surprise that hedgehogs are in rapid decline. In 2017, an annual survey by BBC Gardening World Magazine revealed that 51 per cent of people has not seen a single hedgehog in their garden throughout the year, compared to 48 per cent in 2015; while more recent reports show no improvement in hedgehog numbers. In 2018, the State of British Hedgehogs report suggested that hedgehog populations have halved in rural areas and declined by a third in urban districts since 2002.

Listing the main reasons for their dwindling numbers as intensification of agriculture, lack of prey availability, and higher speed limits on rural roads, it is now thought that one in ten children have never seen one trundling across the lawn.

mammal red list
mammal red list

'Recognition of the vulnerable status of the hedgehog is an opportunity,' said the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) in response to the news. 'It will give impetus to those of us campaigning to protect the habitats that the hedgehog needs to thrive, and increase the awareness of the importance of connecting those habitats.'

The society are also calling on the government to increase the protection offered to the hedgehog under the Wildlife and Countryside Act by moving it to schedule 5, allowing the level of protection appropriate for such a keystone species in decline.

Similarly, Hedgehog Street - a UK-based campaign run in partnership with  People’s Trust for Endangered Species - is ramping up the campaign to make gardens across the nation more wildlife friendly, by connecting each one with small 13cm square holes for hedgehogs to run through. These runs are essential as hedgehogs will travel up to 12 miles in one night in their search for food.

Fay Vass, CEO of the BHPS said: “What people do on behalf of the hedgehog is amazing. The holes made in fences, the feeding, the hedgehog houses, the wildlife friendly planting, the removal of hazards - all makes such a difference locally.

“But it is not enough to rely on the good will of individuals to protect this important creature. We need the government to enforce wildlife friendly practices. From farming to development to transport - wildlife needs to be taken seriously.”

In 2018, the Telegraph's Kate Bradbury spoke to Simon Thompson, the Hedgehog Improvement Area (HIA) senior hedgehog officer, about the decline of Britain's favourite animal and methods that might help.

“There’s a strong link between the changing ways we use our gardens and hedgehog decline,” he says. “Gardens these days are often seen as an additional 'outdoor room’. They might have large areas of patio or decking, even AstroTurf, and fewer plants, particularly native ones which attract more egg-laying moths and therefore caterpillars, an important food source for hedgehogs.”

By encouraging people to try simple remedies, to cut a hole in the bottom of the fence on either side of their garden, enabling hedgehogs to travel between them in search of food; leave areas of long grass; build open compost heaps; and make leaf and stick piles in which hedgehogs can nest, shelter and hibernate, Simon hopes that the nation will join forces to halt the decline. Action is imperative if we are to save this long-loved critter.

If you're looking for more advice on how to help hedgehogs, visit britishhedgehogs.org.uk/helping-hedgehog/

Tricks for a hedgehog friendly garden

Below are Ellie Harrison, formerly of BBC’s Wild About Your Garden, tips and tricks for a hedgehog haven.

  • Make sure there are gaps along garden boundaries; less than 20cm is all that is needed. Why make a hedgehog-friendly garden if none can get in?

  • Consider gardening as organically as you can to allow creepy crawlies to thrive. Garden chemicals have been a big problem. In our programme, I had a heated discussion with a group of understandably protective allotment growers on their use of slug pellets. They had tried every alternative: coffee granules, brass tape, eggshells, beer and more, but the slugs still rampaged. I was newly returned from a hedgehog rescue centre where I had watched the death throes of one wretched individual that had ingested slug pellets, via a slug. In the wild, hedgehogs will die from respiratory failure after suffering for many days. This one was lucky, it could be euthanised.

  • Try lying on the ground for a hedgehog’s view on where they can find cover in your garden.

  • You can offer fresh water and meaty pet food or chopped unsalted nuts, avoiding the bread and milk.

  • If you have a water feature, make sure it has gently sloping sides or add rocks for an escape route.

  • Check long grass before strimming or bonfires before lighting.

  • Install a hedgehog box. These make for important hideaways for hedgehogs to rest in.