If ever a story demonstrated the impact of the human race on wildlife, this has to be one of them.
Hedgehog Awareness Week aims to bring attention to the decease in the UK Hedgehog population and focus on what needs to be done to prevent its inexorable slide towards extinction.
Photo: Hedgehog at the British Wildlife Centre, Surrey
Whilst the Hedgehog can be found across the UK and can live in a variety of habitats including woodland, farmland, parks and gardens, it is in serious decline. While it is difficult to accurately monitor Hedgehog numbers, it is believed they could have decreased by over 50% in rural areas and over 30% in urban areas since 2000.
Loss and damage of suitable habitat, such as hedgerows and woodland, may be a major factor since this deprives the Hedgehog of both food and shelter. The use of pesticides on farmland and in gardens may also have reduced the food supply of the Hedgehog. In urban areas, the use of impermeable fencing, loss of greenery in gardens and increasing development is thought to be negatively impacting Hedgehog populations too. Another threat is roads, with many thousands of Hedgehogs killed by cars each year.
It is clear that Hedgehogs have decreased dramatically in the UK, almost entirely as a result of actions by humans.
Yet in New Zealand, humans have had an entirely different impact. The Hedgehog is a non-native species introduced by us and it has had, and continues to have, an enormous adverse impact on native biodiversity, especially ground resident or ground nesting wildlife, since it has no natural predators itself and its population has exploded. There are now more Hedgehogs in New Zealand than in the UK and it is considered an invasive pest species that requires culling to protect native animals from serious decline and extinction.
Over the course of human history on our planet, we have failed to understand and appreciate our impact on the environment and wildlife or, if we do, too little of us actually care.
More information on the Hedgehog problem in New Zealand can be found here .... The Guardian - Killing machines: humble British Hedgehog causes havoc in New Zealand
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Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
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