Interesting information about European Hedgehogs...
Although we focus primarily on African Pygmy Hedgehogs, did you know that a report by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) confirms hedgehogs are continuing to decline in the UK? Sadly their surveys show that hedgehog numbers have fallen nearly 50% in the last 20 years!
As stated on their site, the reason for the decline include:
– the wholesale application of pesticides which has consequently reduced the invertebrate species upon which hedgehogs feed;
– the prevalence of much larger fields which makes it far more difficult for hedgehogs to travel around their local landscape in safety;
– the widespread hedgerow-management practice of flailing, which soon produces leggy hedges with gappy growth around the base, transforming a once rich nesting habitat into something much poorer;
– commercial management of pastures using herbicides and fertilizers to reduce the amount of invertebrates in the soil, producing a bland, featureless desert optimised for monoculture and nothing else;
– the ploughing up of permanent pastures established over centuries, which destroys a rich wildlife eco system and often rips out ancient hedgerows and eradicates field headlands – rough, uncultivated areas which serve as a refuge for wildlife.
Feel free to visit their website at https://job-prices.co.uk/hedgehog-protection-guide/#hedgehog-decline for more interesting facts about European Hedgehogs!
As stated on their site, the reason for the decline include:
– the wholesale application of pesticides which has consequently reduced the invertebrate species upon which hedgehogs feed;
– the prevalence of much larger fields which makes it far more difficult for hedgehogs to travel around their local landscape in safety;
– the widespread hedgerow-management practice of flailing, which soon produces leggy hedges with gappy growth around the base, transforming a once rich nesting habitat into something much poorer;
– commercial management of pastures using herbicides and fertilizers to reduce the amount of invertebrates in the soil, producing a bland, featureless desert optimised for monoculture and nothing else;
– the ploughing up of permanent pastures established over centuries, which destroys a rich wildlife eco system and often rips out ancient hedgerows and eradicates field headlands – rough, uncultivated areas which serve as a refuge for wildlife.
Feel free to visit their website at https://job-prices.co.uk/hedgehog-protection-guide/#hedgehog-decline for more interesting facts about European Hedgehogs!