Hedgehog hide and seek
Hedgehogs are a quintessential British garden creature and an important part of the countryside’s delicate ecosystem. Sadly, their habitats are constantly under threat and since the year 2000 it is estimated that the rural hedgehog population has declined by 50%! There have been sightings of hedgehogs in our area and we urge you to watch out for these beautiful creatures. Please help to make our hamlet as hedgehog friendly as possible!
The map below shows known sightings of hedgehogs in our area – if you have seen a hedgehog roaming the streets (or gardens) of Westhumble let us know and we can add their location to our map.
What can we do to encourage more hedgehogs? One of the most important things is to safeguard their habitat and allow them to roam. Consider making a small opening under your fence, approximately the size of a CD (a hedgehog highway) so that they can travel easily between gardens. This helps them to find food and shelter, especially in winter when they need to find a suitable location to hibernate. A hedgehog will travel two kilometres every night in search of food, eating up garden pests like slugs, avoid using pesticides (e.g. slug pellets) which could be ingested by a hungry hedgehog.
The following link has lots of wonderful information on how we can help to support hedgehogs.