Problems, Problems...

Author - GL

Even in the countryside, things are changing. Many farmers are going over to “prairie” type farming, which means huge fields, which means vastly reduced hedges. Once again, the figurative signs go up: Small Mammals, No Place Here.

Pesticides are a double whammy. Small mammals such as hedgehogs can become weakened and ill from ingesting some chemicals; and the other problem is that pesticides can kill the very insects which are the secondary booster of a hedgehog’s diet.

Our spiny, spiky friends particularly enjoy millipedes and beetles. Indeed it is often by spotting the shiny black – undigested – wings of a beetle, in a

Monoculture farming is leading to fewer and fewer hedgerows in rural areas for hedgehogs to live in.

hedgehog’s droppings, that a householder can tell if they have had a clandestine
visit from a hedgehog, even if they did not actually witness the creature’s shuffling presence.

Hedgehogs have to beware of aggressive hunters such as badgers, foxes, and some types of owl. An adult hedgehog can make a satisfying – if a bit fiddly – meal for a predator such as this.

Their other enemy, of course, is the motor vehicle. No good ever came of a confrontation between a hedgehog and a large block of moving metal. No good for the hedgehog, certainly. And often a miserable few hours of remorse for the animal-loving driver, who simply could not safely stop in time.

All in all… a sad state of affairs for the 21st century hedgehog.

Can anything be done?

Well, yes, there are things to be done. Small steps, seemingly, but vital NOW, before the problems multiply, and start to escalate exponentially.

What is needed is awareness first, then growing numbers of people starting to instigate small changes, to give Mother Nature a bit of a helping hand, and assist her to open up new avenues for these much loved, but sadly beleaguered little creatures of the wild.

It’s hard work being a hedgehog in the UK today.

The 21st century really hasn’t done them any favours, and hedgehog numbers are estimated to have dwindled by around 25% between 2000 and 2010. Unless some decisive steps are taken now, this sad decline could well worsen as the years go by.

There is something of a perfect storm brewing for our spiky little friends.

Habitat is a big problem, on several different fronts.

For a suburban hedgehog, which might have led a fairly comfortable and convenient life, moving between traditional gardens and finding places to rest and a good food supply, modern day trends are having an impact. On a small scale, householders with busy lifestyles are finding it easier to pave or gravel areas of their plots, whether for ease of maintenance, or to provide hardstanding for a caravan, or second – or third - family car.

Even keen gardeners who love their plants can unwittingly be very unhelpful to hedgehogs. These enthusiasts do not like slugs, and instead of trying more wildlife-friendly solutions, will often revert to putting down slug pellets. Even if these are carefully manufactured to kill only the slugs they target (as opposed to an enquiring hedgehog or household pet) they still cause havoc. Slugs are the mainstay (along with earthworms) of a hedgehog’s diet. No more slugs… hungry hedgehogs.

And then there’s development. That patch of land which might have stood empty for decades, has all of a sudden become prime real estate. And not for hedgehogs. Overnight, it can seem, the area is a sea of foundations for a new estate, and the hedgehogs – along with other small mammals, insects, and many plant species – have had to move on.

But move on to where?