Hedgehog Numbers Drop Around the UK
Hedgehog numbers are falling dramatically across the UK, and come to think of it, when was the last time you saw one? There was a time when you would see your friendly neighbourhood hedgehog scurrying around parks and gardens on an almost daily basis. Yet I personally can’t remember the last time I saw one myself. Can you?
Amazingly, their number has fallen by a third in the last nine years, with less than one million estimated to be left in the country. It is also estimated that their were up to thirty six million 60 years ago, so alarm bells should be ringing if this fall continues.
Hedgehogs were always a part of growing up, yet their fall from grace in Britain is beginning to mirror that of the starling, red squirrels and other staples of British wildlife. The reasons behind the decline include –
- Habitat loss
- Poor management of hedgerows
- Fragmentation of habitat
- New roads and housing developments
With thousands of hedgehogs being killed every year on the UK’s roads, the increase in new housing estates must be partly to blame. Plus with the extreme weather changes Britain has faced over the past decade, these are sure to be major factors behind the recent loss of so many hedgehogs.
Spokesman for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, Hugh Warwick, said –
The most obvious thing is habitat loss. But the biggest thing is habitat fragmentation. It comes in many different forms — you put a big road through the middle of a hedgehog habitat, and then a crossroads, and the hedgehog habitat becomes smaller and smaller. In each of those habitats, the risks become more dangerous, for example if you have an outbreak of parasites.
Here’s hoping that these lovely little rascals are given a some human support as their numbers decline across the country. Having a country walk without the familiar rustle of a hedgehog in the undergrowth just wouldn’t be British, wouldn’t you say?
If you would like to find out more on how you can help safeguard the nations animal habitats and nature reserves, check out our dedicated RSPB page where you can learn more about how they keep Britain’s countryside Great.