Sherborne Hedgehogs

If you find a hedgehog in your garden consider yourself one of the lucky few.

But if you do NOT have one to help keep your plant pests in check, you can help increase the population by doing just a few things.

Hedgehog populations are now in serious decline with numbers plummeting at a shocking rate. They are facing a multitude of pressures including habitat loss and fragmentation, the use of intensive farming methods and climate change. Our native hedgehog now has the conservation status of ‘near threatened’ on the Red List of Threatened Species. They really are in trouble.

There is, however, a glimmer of hope because urban populations appear to be stabilising. This highlights the importance of wildlife friendly gardens and green spaces in our towns and cities. 

Through spreading awareness, monitoring the local hedgehog population and creating wildlife corridors, we at Wild Sherborne aim to make our town and the surrounding villages more welcoming places where hedgehogs can thrive. Look out for an interactive map at Castle Gardens where the public can record their sightings – coming soon.

Hedgehogs love visiting our gardens. Create a wildlife haven (even a small space will help):

• Firstly, allow them easy access through a 5 inch square hole and encourage your neighbours to do the same to create a ‘hedgehog highway’. 
• Build a pile of logs or leaves to attract the bugs that hedgehogs love to eat. They also make ideal nesting sites.  
• Do not use pesticides or slug pellets as they reduce the amount of food available and can kill the hedgehogs themselves.   
• Supplement their natural diet by offering meaty cat food in jelly or cat biscuits. This is particularly important in autumn when they are trying to fatten up for winter. They will appreciate a shallow dish of fresh water, and it could be a life saver during dry periods. 
• Provide a hedgehog house in a quiet, shady spot for shelter, nesting or hibernation.
• Always check before strimming, mowing or turning a compost heap to avoid causing horrific injuries or death to sleeping hedgehogs.  
• They are great swimmers but make sure your pond has a gentle slope, ramp or similar as an escape route. 
• Bonfires are very attractive to hedgehogs as they look like the perfect nesting site, but they are also dangerous. Build a bonfire on the day of lighting or rebuild it on a different site. 
• They can easily get tangled in netting and once caught have no way of escaping. Make sure garden netting and any unused sports netting is high enough for them to pass underneath. 

When out and about:

• Drive cautiously at night and please slow down for hedgehogs. 
• Don’t drop litter! Their inquisitive nature can lead to them becoming entangled in elastic bands and plastic rings or stuck in empty tins and containers. 
• Dogs will attack hedgehogs. If this happens, please get the hedgehog checked out by a rescue centre, even if there are no visible injuries. Avoid attacks by keeping your dog on a lead at night. 

Even small changes can make a huge difference when we all work together…let’s create a brighter future for these so very special mammals!

I would love to hear form you if you spot a hedgehog out and about – let me know at hedgehogs@wildsherborne.co.uk and if you are able to be specific enough about the location I can add it to the Wild Sherborne map!