help for hedgehogs campaign 2013

Help for Hedgehogs Campaign

www.warwickshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/hedgehogs

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Known and loved by many generations, featured in lore literature, and welcomed by most of us as part of the family of creatures that ‘belong’ in British gardens. Hedgehogs are a National Treasure. They must be valued and protected.Let Warwickshire lead the way, and let other counties follow. Bill Oddie Birdwatcher, broadcaster, television presenter and conservationist.

Hedgehog ©

2013 George S

toyle

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The humble and unassuming hedgehog is an enigmatic but much-loved friend of gardeners everywhere – it is said to be one of Britain’s top ten most favourite animals.

Hedgehog numbers are difficult to monitor but all the indications nationally show a rapid decline: in the 1950s there were an estimated 30 million hedgehogs but by the mid-1990s it was 2 million and the most recent estimate is down to a shocking 1 million*. We have no reliable figures for Warwickshire, Coventry or Solihull but all of the anecdotal observations suggest they are in similar decline here too. Many parts of our county now seem to be ‘hedgehog-free’ areas.

Hedgehogsin Coventry and Warwickshire

Where do they live?Hedgehogs used to be common night time visitors to our gardens – and in some areas they are still present in good numbers in Warwickshire. These charismatic spiny animals are mammals and they give birth to live young which they rear on milk. Hedgehogs are related to moles and shrews.

As with all animals, they live in places which provide all of their requirements for shelter and food. Hedgehogs need lots of insects and invertebrates which live in gardens, grasslands, open areas and hedges. Hedgehogs do particularly well in areas where good foraging is close to shelter - so closely mown lawns adjacent to longer grass, tall borders and hedges are ideal.

Being nocturnal, hedgehogs also need safe shelters in which to spend the day – away from the many dangers of the daytime. Females also need safe warm nests in which to give birth and raise their hoglets. Gardens can provide many of these requirements.

© 2013 John Roberts (WWT)

many parts of our county now appear to be hedgehog free areas

A hedgehog in a suburban garden in Birmingham

© 2013 Tim Haselden.

Spines

Reproduction


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Hedgehog captured using a nightvision camera in a suburban

garden in Canley near Coventry © 2013 Pete Sanders (WWT).

The hedgehog’s most instantly recognisable feature is its coat – packed with thousands of spines in an adult. These are modified hairs, around 22mm long, which are banded in various shades of brown.

It’s most well-known habit is to roll into a ball when threatened or taken by surprise. This is a really effective defence mechanism for most of the hedgehog’s natural enemies but unfortunately is not much use against road traffic. A few hedgehogs might occasionally be killed by dogs but their only effective natural predator is the badger which can use its long claws to unroll the curled hedgehog.

Hedgehogs have a loose ‘skirt’ with a muscle which acts like the draw-string of a bag – allowing it to roll-up tightly within a fraction of a second. People retain the same muscle which we use for frowning. Try frowning to experience the effect in miniature!

In winter, the availability of suitable food is greatly reduced so hedgehogs hibernate between November and March to save energy. The length of hibernation depends on the weather – it can be shorter if the temperature is warmer, longer if it’s colder. Hedgehogs construct special ‘winter’ nests which are slightly larger than usual at around 50cm across. These are made of leaves and the hedgehog curls up in the centre.

During winter hibernation, the hedgehog’s metabolism drops to a low level: observable breathing almost stops, the heart rate drops to 20 beats per minute and its body temperature drops from 35oC to 10oC. Even so, a hedgehog needs a good layer of fat on which to survive and late born hoglets are notoriously vulnerable if their body weight is too low going into hibernation. Many hedgehogs may not survive a long cold winter – a good spring to wake up to is essential for survival.

Hibernation

How do hedgehogs make love? For once, one of the humorous myths about hedgehogs actually seems to be rather close to the truth, yes the answer is... carefully! During mating the female assumes an unusual and strained shape which ensures her spines are flattened.

Baby hedgehogs – or hoglets - are born from late spring through to the autumn. The hoglets are born with their spines retracted within their skin. The young are born blind and will remain in the nest for 4 or 5 weeks before the venture out.

Most young perish in the nest but an average life span for those that become independent is around 2 years – though a tiny fraction can live to 7 – 10 years of age.

Hedgehogs are born to wander under the night sky, and can regularly cover more than 2 miles each night to find food. Their range may cover 20 to 40 hectares – the equivalent of around 30 – 60 football pitches.

You may also have several hedgehogs visiting your garden – as they all look the

same! One marking study showed that a garden actually had 10 individual hedgehogs visiting.

NocturnalAs an ‘insectivore’, hedgehogs mainly eat beetles, caterpillars and earthworms but they will also consume slugs, snails, bird’s eggs and other small mammals.

Food

Garden VisitorHedgehogs can be very elusive – but just because you don’t see them doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not around.

They do leave some signs to look out for... their droppings and rarely footprints on wet soil. Keep an eye open for black finger sized droppings on the grass. Hedgehogs are ‘insectivores’ and mainly feed on insects and invertebrates – so if the dropping has bits of beetle and insect, it’s likely to be from a hedgehog.

If you find some droppings, it’s well worth going out at night with a torch with a red filter to search for them. They often make quite a noise as they snuffle along hunting for prey – and this can quickly reveal their location. Even if you don’t spot them the first time, keep trying as they may only be spending a short time in your patch before moving on to the next garden.

The surest sign that hedgehogs are present in your area is to look out for road casualties.

Please send any records to... [email protected]

Visit our web site to find out more... www.warwickshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/hedgehogs


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Earthworms © 2013 Shutterstock

Hedgehog captured using a nightvision camera in a suburban

garden in Canley near Coventry © 2013 Pete Sanders (WWT).

Hedgehog nest © 2013 Pete Sanders (WWT)

Take ActionHedgehogs are good news for gardeners and

farmers – they love eating slugs and other pests. If we help them, they’ll help us!

Decline

• Loss of habitat – both farmland and in gardens;• Degradation of remaining farmland habitat;• Fragmentation of good habitat by roads and

development so that hedgehogs are less able to move round the range they require;

• Road casualties;• Fewer beetles and invertebrates available for

food in the countryside which may be due to habitat loss and pesticide use;

• Predation by badgers.

The reasons are not entirely clear at the moment but it is probably not any single issue but a combination of several factors which is putting pressure on their survival:

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The population of hedgehogs is estimated to be around 1 million in the UK. Let’s not wait until the number has dropped another 50% before we do anything to stop the decline. Let’s all do our bit to help NOW! Michaela Strachan Broadcaster and television presenter.


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Hedgehog numbers are in rapid decline and we need to take action to help them. National data collected by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and Peoples’ Trust for Endangered Species indicate that there is an estimated 1 million animals remaining – in the mid 1990s the figure was 2 million and in the 1950s there were an estimated 30 million hedgehogs.

This trend seems to be mirrored in Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull. The map of records we have show a contraction in range and hedgehogs seems to be missing where once they were common. We urgently need more information to ensure the maps are accurate so that conservation efforts can be focussed on where they can have best impact.Hoglets © 2013 John Roberts (WWT)


YOU can do to help...15 things

1 GO GREENAvoid using pesticides like slug pellets in your garden.

2 GO WILDKeep a wild corner in your garden – they can be great for beetles and insects.

3 DRIVE CAREFULLYEspecially at night. Avoid small balls in the road!

4 MIND THE GAPMake sure there are small gaps in your garden fencing so they can access your garden and that of your neighbours.

5 FOOD AND DRINKProvide fresh water and food for hedgehogs, especially in dry weather. They like non-fishy cat food or bird food.

6 NO TO BREAD & MILKDo not feed hedgehogs milk and bread, it gives them diarrhoea!

7 I SAW A HEDGEHOGDead or alive, we need your sightings of hedgehogs to understand their distribution and population in our region. Send your records by email to [email protected] of fill in our online hedgehog sighting form at: www.warwickshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/hedgehog-sighting

8 MAKE SPACEEncourage your school, local park and council to make their open spaces hedgehog friendly.

10 WALK FOR WILDLIFEJoin our fundraising Walk for Wildlife and help us raise funds for hedgehog conservation in our region.

9 TAKE ON A LODGERInstall a hedgehog house in your garden to make them feel at home.

11 MAKE A DONATIONMake a donation to our hedgehog campaign.

12 FIRE SAFETYCheck for hedgehogs sheltering beneath your bonfire before you light it.

14 AVOID DROWNINGHedgehogs are good swimmers but if you have a pond, make sure they can get out. A simple ramp is ideal.

13 HEDGEHOG DETECTIVEGet a hedgehog detector tube – available from:www.mammal.org.uk/node/140

15 CHECK LONG GRASSCheck long grass in your gardenbefore strimming or cutting.


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DONATE BY TEXT Text code WKWT04 and your donation amount e.g. WKWT04 £5 to 70070

DONATE ONLINEVisit our web sitewww.warwickshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/donate

Walk for WildlifeAs part of our Help for Hedgehogs campaign, why not take part in a sponsored walk to help raise money for our spiny friends. Keep an eye out for announcements later in the year on how you can register and take part on our sponsored walk in October.

Erinaceus europaeusHedgehog Fact FileDISTRIBUTION: The European Hedgehog is found throughout Europe. In the UK, it is found almost everywhere except some of the Scottish Islands

FOOTPRINTS: Hedgehogs have five toes with long claws. Their hind feed tend to be slightly longer and narrower than the forefeet.

SPINES: Each hedgehog has several thousand spines – each around 22mm long. It uses these spines as a form of defence against predators.

DROPPINGS: Deposited randomly, hedgehog droppings can be up to 25mm long and cylindrical – they’re usually firmly compressed and dark grey or black – studded with insect fragments.

VOICE: Hedgehogs are generally quiet apart from snuffling sounds. When distressed they can emit a loud scream. Adults can be very noisy during courtship and reproduction.

SENSES: With poor eyesight, hedgehogs rely on their acute senses of small and hearing to find food.

FOOD: A wide range of insects, especially beetles, grubs and worms, slugs and snails. They will also eat small mammals including shrews and mice.

HABITAT: Railways, gardens, cemeteries, woodland and hedgerows.

ACTIVE: Hedgehogs tend to be nocturnal so the best time to look for them is late evening during the spring and early summer months.

LIFESPAN: between 60 and 70% of young hedgehogs die in their first year. With an average lifespan of 2 years, some individuals may live up to 7 years in the wild.

HIBERNATION: Hedgehogs generally hibernate between November to March depending on the weather – often they wake up and may move nests. When hibernating their heart beat drops from 147 beats per minute to 2 – 12 beats per minute at 4OC

NESTS: Hedgehogs build three types of nest – summer daytime nests, breeding nests and winter hibernacula. All fairly similar dome shaped balls of compacted leaves that are well concealed under bushes.

BREEDING: Gestation is 31-35 days and females wil have litters of 2 – 7 hoglets usually born in June. In good conditions they can raise two litters a year.

Courtship consists of the male approaching and circling the female – this can last for hours as the female often rebuts him before copulation – with much snorting and noise!

Male takes no part in rearing the young. Females are notorious for eating their young if disturbed soon after birth.

Blind at birth, young suckle on their mothers milk for 4 weeks. Their eyes open after two weeks and are weaned at 4-6 weeks.


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The mating process can be very noisy

with lots of snuffling and grunting in the

shrubbery!

© 2013 Kay Reeve (WWT)

find out moreThe best book on Hedgehogs is ‘The New Hedgehogs Book’ byDr Pat Morris and Guy Troughton. Whittet Books Ltd (1998).

A pamphlet ‘Hedgehogs in your garden’ by Jane Sedgeley is publishedby the Mammal Society.

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society has a range of publications availa-

ble. Visit their web site www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk or

www.hedgehogstreet.org.uk


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HEDGEHOG SIGHTINGS You can send your hedgehog sightings to us via our online sightings form.

www.warwickshirewildlifetrust.org.

uk/hedgehogs

DONATE ONLINE You can donate via our web site using your credit /debit card or via Paypal. Scan the QR code below or visit

www.warwickshirewildlifetrust.org.

uk/donate

DONATE BY TEXT Text code WKWT04 and your donation amount e.g. WKWT04 £5 to 70070

WKWT04


HELP FOR HEDGEHOGS Visit our web site to contact us or find out more about our campaign.


Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is a registered charity (Number 209200) and a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England, Number 582247. Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Brandon Marsh Nature Centre Brandon Lane, Coventry CV3 3GW 024 7630 2912 [email protected] Parkridge CentreBrueton Park, Solihull, B91 3HW 012 1704 0768

help for hedgehogs campaign 2013

Documents

hedgehogs campaign3

hedgehogs natural enemies

hedgehogs campaign2the

hedgehog numbers

hedgehogfree areas

hedgehog free areasa

unassuming hedgehog

curled hedgehog