Tuesday 3 May 2016

Hedgehog Awareness Week

I'm not sure if you are aware, but this week is Hedgehog Awareness Week! (Are you aware now? Good.) From 1st-7th May the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (Click here to see their site!) are trying to raise awareness for our poor little fellows, because they are really struggling. Their aim is to highlight issues and what we can do to help them out.

The numbers of hedgehogs in both rural and urban areas has been declining rapidly since the turn of the century, with rural populations having declined by up to 50%, and urban populations declined by more than a third. Because of these staggering numbers, Hedgehogs became a conservation species priority in 2007. But what if we're too late?

The biggest change we can contribute to is all the little ones, we need to be aware ourselves, and to raise awareness to other people too. So please, this week pledge to do just that. if we all did just one positive thing to benefit hedgehogs, or to even make one single other person aware of what they can do, then it's all a lot better than doing nothing at all.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal creatures. so if  there's one about it your garden during the day, then something will be wrong. If you have serious concerns then the advice given from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, is to pick them up with a towel and place them in a box, if possible keep them warm with a hot water bottle and get into contact with your local wildlife sanctuary. If available you can try feeding them meaty cat or dog food, or complete cat biscuits, and plenty of fresh water.

So how can you make your garden a hedgehog oasis?

  • First and foremost, avoid using pesticides and slug pellets, this will no only benefit hedgehogs, but their food chain and the chains of other animals. 
  • Keep as much of your garden as 'wild' as you can (this also means you can take time off because you don't have to do anything - double whammy i think!), areas like this will not only provide natural food sources, but will also act as a sanctuary and provide protection. 
  • A water supply is also really important, especially during the hot and long summer days, a simple shallow dish of fresh water is perfect.
  • You can also make or buy a hedgehog home for your garden, check out this link here for inspiration! 
So please please please, spread some positivity and some love and make people aware of a problem that can be prevented, or at the very least, slowed down.












No comments:

Post a Comment