Hedgehogs in danger
Plus this weeks links to conservation news and job listings.
Hi it’s Ben and Charlotte, welcome to The Entmoot.
In this week’s issue we'll look at:
How pouched rats are helping sniff out the illegal wildlife trade
How chocolate is being affected by climate change
The healing power of botany
And more…
Highly commended in the Mammals category (European Wildlife Photographer of the Year) | Felix Heintzenberg
Best links
Wildlife Conservation
How rats can help fight the illegal wildlife trade (The Wildlife Society)
European Wildlife Photographer of the Year winners (Petapixel)
Climate Change
Step forward in conservation with guidelines to integrate wildlife protection into national climate plans (IFAW)
How Climate Change ties to world chocolate output and higher prices (Forbes)
Zoo news
Giant spiders thriving in the wild after zoo release (BBC)
Whipsnade Zoo keeper helped raise extinct in the wild birds released into wild for first time in 40 years (Luton today)
Botany
How the healing powers of botany can reduce anxiety and boost health (New Scientist)
Jobs
Zoo keeper positions are available at West Midlands Safari Park, Paignton and London Zoo (BIAZA)
Find the latest environmental, ecology, and fundraising positions here: (Environmental jobs)
Drop in hedgehog numbers leave this much-loved species in danger
Hedgehogs are one of the most beloved and well-known species here in the UK, sparking happiness as we see them scurrying across the road or rustling around in our gardens at night. But following a 30% decline in their numbers over the last decade, people have been seeing less and less of this once widespread animal.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has recently reviewed their conservation status and moved them up the list from ‘least concern’ to ‘near threatened’; so this week we’re going to take a look at why one of our most popular species is struggling, and what we can do to help them bounce back.
What are hedgehogs?
There are 17 species of hedgehog in the world, and they are widespread - native across Europe, Asia and Africa, they have also been naturalised in New Zealand where they are considered a pest due to preying on native species and competing with them for food.
Sharing a distant ancestor with shrews, hedgehogs have hardly evolved for the last fifteen million years. This may be down to having long ago evolved a very effective method of protecting themselves from predators, giving them little incentive to change.
This is of course in reference to their most distinctive characteristic, the thousands of spines that cover their entire dorsal side. These spines are hollow and made of keratin, the same material as human hair and fingernails. Unlike the quills found on porcupines, hedgehog spines are densely packed together, are not barbed, and do not detach easily to remain in the skin and irritate predators.
Thanks to their round bodies, small head and limbs, and strong back muscles, hedgehogs are capable of tucking into a tight, impenetrable ball when afraid, pointing their spines at their attacker and making them a very challenging meal.
The majority of hedgehog species are nocturnal - spending most of the daytime sleeping under bushes, grass or other types of vegetation, they emerge at dusk to forage.
Most species also hibernate to survive the hostile conditions of the winter. Normally hedgehogs will hibernate from October to March or April, however due to climate change, milder winters have cause these dates to fluctuate and for some years hedgehogs won’t hibernate at all.
Why do they matter?
Hedgehogs fill an important position within the food web as they are both predator and prey. They are omnivores and will feed on plant matter if necessary, but most of their diet is made up of invertebrates such as worms, slugs, beetles, millipedes, earwigs and caterpillars. They have also been known to consume larger food items such as frogs, bird’s eggs, and even snakes.
They have a reputation for being a gardener’s best friend as they are thought to eat so many slugs, but hedgehogs are actually very fussy about what size and species of mollusc they will eat. However, their role as a predator of other ‘pests’ means that their presence is definitely good news for your garden.
Hedgehogs are also a food source for many of our other native animals such as owls, badgers, foxes and polecats, cementing their importance as both a predator and prey species that we should strive to protect.
Why do they need protection?
Hedgehogs are under threat and, sadly, the main reason for this is down to human impacts.
Abi Gazzard, a programme officer at the IUCN, said: “Unfortunately, evidence points towards a worrying and widespread downward trend. The red list assessment highlights data uncertainties – for example, the limits of this species’ distribution are not entirely clear, and there are gaps in knowledge of its populations. There is still a chance to halt the decline of the western European hedgehog, and we must aim to prevent any further worsening of status.”
Vehicle collisions are a major reason for this decline, as humans have encroached on and divided hedgehog habitats, making it harder for them to safely access their usual range. They must now cross dangerous roads in order to find food and mate, and because of their nocturnal nature and small size, they are often hard to see and easily become victims of roadkill.
The use of pesticides also has a detrimental impact on hedgehogs due to reducing numbers of their prey species, increasing the likelihood of malnourishment and starvation. Hedgehogs need to be a certain weight before they can go into hibernation, and often die over winter when they do not have enough fat reserves to either hibernate or get through a period of limited food availability whilst awake.
Finally, urban growth has cut off pathways and restricted the range of hedgehogs. As housing developments continue and human influence spreads, garden fences restrict their movement capacity and isolate hedgehogs from food sources they once relied upon.
Bonfire night
Another issue for hedgehogs as we head into the colder season is bonfire night. Every year around the 5th of November people let off fireworks, host parties and crucially, light bonfires.
At this time of year, hedgehogs are often looking for dense, warm vegetation to sleep under and potentially hibernate within, making bonfires perfect candidates. Unfortunately, people often do not realise that an animal has taken up residence before setting them alight, leading to many hedgehog fatalities at this time of year.
There are a few things that can be done to prevent an accidental hedgehog death:
Store materials for the bonfire in a safe area and then move into place just before lighting
Try to avoid natural waste such as leaf piles or branches, as these will be more likely to attract hedgehogs looking for shelter
Make sure to do a thorough final check before lighting your bonfire, preferably with a powerful torch, to ensure no animals have entered it
If you do happen to find a hedgehog under your bonfire (or anywhere you don’t want it to be), the best thing to do is slowly and carefully pick it up using thick gardening gloves or a towel along with any nesting material it was sheltering with, place it in a cardboard box with some newspaper and relocate it to a safe and quiet place such as under a bush, log pile or overgrown area, making sure the hedgehog is able to leave the box when it is ready.
It is also worth mentioning that at this time of year, it may be tempting to put pumpkins out in your garden or in the woods for animals to eat or to become compost. Pumpkins are highly toxic to hedgehogs and can be fatal if consumed - instead, keep them off the ground, either on a bird table or hung from a tree, or keep them within a contained compost bin where hedgehogs cannot access them.
What can we do?
There are a few changes we can all make to help hedgehog numbers recover and allow them to be as commonplace as they once were.
First of all, we can aim to support the reduced use of pesticides and instead opt for more organic forms of gardening and agriculture. Perhaps there is a local organic, small-scale vegetable farm or shop close to you that you can buy from rather than choosing a supermarket? Or maybe you could consider using non-chemical forms of pest control in your garden such as predatory insects, organic slug pellets or copper slug tape. This approach will help to increase insect numbers, providing more food for hedgehogs and other insectivores. By naturally supporting the wildlife in your garden rather than trying to eliminate pests altogether, you will create an ecosystem that will eventually become self-sustaining, attracting predator species and reducing the need to control pests yourself.
You could also voice your support for the development of wildlife bridges in your local area. These are usually either bridges or tunnels that connect habitats and allow hedgehogs and other animals to cross roads without risk of injury. The increased capacity for movement of a wide range of species also allows greater genetic diversity and foraging potential, placing less strain on fragmented and often small areas of habitat.
On an individual level, another option is to collaborate with neighbours to build a hedgehog highway between gardens. A small 13cm x 13cm gap at the base of a fence is enough to allow hedgehogs access to a greater range of habitat, meaning they are not restricted by a small space that may not have the resources to support them.
Providing a ‘wild’ area in your garden will also support hedgehog survival. Many gardens these days are covered with decking, concrete and fake grass, but by leaving a more natural, overgrown area in your garden, you can provide an ideal habitat for hedgehogs to live in.
Alternatively, consider building or buying a hedgehog house. These are easy to build or can be bought online, and are perfect shelters for hedgehogs that provide a safe space in your garden, sheltered from nosey pets that may take an interest in them.
Thank you for joining
If you have enjoyed this week’s newsletter, let us know in a comment or share this article so more people can get involved in the conservation conversation. Thanks for reading and see you again next week.