Prickly subject
PRICKLY SUBJECT
Not Just Lions And Tigers, Born Free Cares For Wildlife Right Here In The UK.
Let’s hear it for the little guys! Celebrate National Hedgehog week by applauding these awesome hunters, on the prowl for slugs and snails. No wonder they’re known as the gardener’s best friend!
Every hog counts with less than one million prickly creatures in the UK, down from 36 million in the 1950s. Born Free’s own rescuer Tarnya Knight overwintered 29 hedgehogs, mostly ‘autumn juveniles’ too small to hibernate, close to our base in Horsham, West Sussex, UK. But that’s not all.
Spring is a busy time for UK rescue centres caring for injured and orphan wild animals and a Born Free donation to Hogfields Hedgehog Rescue in Birmingham has bought vital food and water bowls plus new hogs pens. Meanwhile in Shropshire, a Born Free grant to Pricklebums Hedgehog Rescue has purchased an ultrasound scanner to check whether females are pregnant – certain medications can harm unborn hoglets.
MAKE SURE YOUR GARDEN IS HEDGEHOG FRIENDLY
- Leave an area of your garden ‘wild’
- Place a hedgehog ‘house’ somewhere quiet and shady www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk
- Got a pond? Provide an escape route with a ramp of stones or chicken wire
- Check the area before using a strimmer
- Don’t use slug pellets which contain metaldehyde – this is deadly for hedgehogs and other wildlife
- Try not to use netting on plants, as hedgehogs can get tangled, or keep at least a foot above ground