Spotting a hedgehog in your garden can no longer be taken for granted in Cheshire, with the spiky animals officially being classified as 'at risk of becoming endangered' in a national report published this month.
Although generally considered to be common fauna, the friendly favourite has been identified as a ‘priority species' in an updated version of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), a list of species and habitats in need of careful monitoring to ensure their preservation. The updated list now contains 1149 species and 65 habitats of conservation concern to the UK.
Charlotte Harris from Cheshire Wildlife Trust, comments “We really need to take this information as a stark warning to the increasing threats faced by our natural world. As a Trust we are heavily involved in proactive work to preserve and protect flora and fauna, but also acknowledge the important role that individuals have to play. I hope that as a county we can work together to tackle some of the issues faced by species such as the hedgehog.”
Hedgehogs are especially vulnerable in Cheshire, with numbers declining in recent years compared with other areas of the UK. For some time Cheshire Wildlife Trust has been trying to draw up an accurate picture of the county’s hedgehog population through survey work.
Sue Tatman from Cheshire Wildlife Trust, explains, "Hedgehogs are a difficult creature to track and unfortunately one of the best ways is to estimate the number killed on the road each year. By this method it appears hedgehogs are comparatively rare in Cheshire.
"Reasons for this are uncertain but loss of habitat, changes in agriculture, increased use of pesticides and more traffic on our roads are all contributing factors."
Perhaps more surprising still is the inclusion of house sparrows on the danger list. Luckily house sparrows are still widely distributed all over Cheshire from built-up city areas to the rural countryside however nationally the house sparrow population has fallen by 62% over the last 50 years and this figure could increase unless action is taken.
The Cheshire region Biodiversity Partnership (CrBP) has been working together to preserve the region's most vulnerable wildlife since 1997. The CrBP has been encouraged to find that the plight of a number of locally threatened species have at last received the national recognition they deserve. These include species such as the lapwing, starling, noctule bat, harvest mouse and white-letter hairstreak butterfly along with locally important habitats such as ponds and traditional orchards.
Cheshire Wildlife Trust is encouraging people to go that little bit further to take care of such species that are easy to overlook in favour of protecting traditionally endangered animals.
Help the hedgehog
Leave one area of your garden uncultivated and overgrown with brambles to mimic the hedgehog’s natural habitat.
Install a hedgehog house in your garden as a safe place for the little prickly balls.
Avoid using slug pellets and pesticides and let the hogs do the cleansing for you whilst filling their stomachs at the same time.
Check undergrowth before using a strimmer - they can cause horrific injuries.
Hedgehogs can get caught up in netting, and if not found and released they will starve.
Every year hedgehogs get roasted when they decide a bonfire heap is an ideal nesting site. Check the base of your fire before lighting, or build the fire on a clear base just before lighting.
You can help Cheshire Wildlife Trust build its knowledge of hedgehogs by reporting any sightings to
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] or telephoning 01948 820728
You can also help to support endangered species by becoming a member of Cheshire Wildlife Trust. You’ll also receive regular magazines about the work of the Trust and be able to take part in its active events programme throughout the year
Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:13 pm
