Hedgehogs can travel up to 2 miles each night on a journey through our neighbourhoods in search of food and a mate.
But there is a problem.
Hedgehogs are now being blocked by walls and fences when they are constructed in gardens. True, Hedgehogs are agile climbers, but most walls and fences offer nothing to hold on to. This prevents Hedgehogs from traveling the path of around 1 mile they were intending to. Traveling such a distance allows them to forage for food and find a mate. On the other hand, as well as restricting Hedgehog movement, walls and fences can also cause Hedgehogs to travel even further than they were intending to. Rescues sometimes receive exhausted Hedgehogs with the pads of their feet clearly damaged from walking a huge distance in a desperate bid to forage for food.
I’ll break it down: in restricting a Hedgehog’s movement, we are minimizing their chances of finding food. We are minimizing their chances of finding a suitable mate and therefore the chance to breed. We are minimizing their chances of finding a suitable place to hibernate in the winter. Finally, if not restricting their movement, we are causing them to walk further which can lead to exhaustion. An exhausted Hedgehog will be weak and more prone to being preyed upon.
Clearly, the construction of walls and fences in our gardens are interfering with the Hedgehog’s natural behaviour, whether it is restricting their movement or causing them to walk a greater distance.
Working to prevent this from happening is ‘Hedgehog Street’: a community project set up by The People’s Trust for Endangered Species and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society. The project encourages people to work together in their community and create a corridor through their gardens which allows Hedgehogs and other wildlife to pass through.
That said, there is something we can all do to support conservation efforts for this charismatic species and indeed support 'Hedgehog Street' - link your garden and become a 'Hedgehog Champion'.
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Mon Feb 04, 2013 7:17 pm