This week from 2nd to 8th May 2021 is Hedgehog Awareness Week.
The Hedgehog can be found across the UK and can live in a variety of habitats including woodland, farmland, parks and gardens. Sadly, 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.
At my 3 local patch sites that I visit, I have only recorded Hedgehog on a single occasion (a young animal at the bottom of Church Hill when returning from an evening visit on 29th July 2020) but here are 4 of my photos of this wonderful mammal, the first a wild individual at Dervaig on the island of Mull in Argyll and the other 3 of a captive individual at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey.
💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
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