Bid to help halt the rapid decline of hedgehogs

An initiative to stop the rapid decline of the hedgehog population has been launched.
Hedgehogs are in rapid declineHedgehogs are in rapid decline
Hedgehogs are in rapid decline

Hedgehogs have declined by 30 per cent in Britain over the last ten years - a decline as fast as the tiger - and there are now thought to be fewer than one million left in the UK.

In a bid to save the much-loved animal, the Royal Horticultural Society, The Wildlife Trust and Hedgehog Street have teamed up to hold a week-long call for action to protect the species.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Wild About Gardens Week in the autumn will include events, competitions and tips on how to make gardens hedgehog friendly, including a template available to download to show how to create hedgehog holes in fences.

There will also be a host of hedgehog-themed talks, workshops and community activities taking place, and a guide to demonstrate steps people can take to help hedgehogs.

Twiggy, patron of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, said: “Seeing hedgehogs in our garden when I was a child was a magical experience. Now we all need to help these special mammals – and there’s so much that gardeners can do to reverse their decline.

“You can cut a small hedgehog hole at the bottom of your garden fence, leave wild nesting and hibernation areas, ditch the slug pellets and check that bonfire before striking the match. All so easy to do. Please help these wonderful creatures”

For more information, including events taking place in your area, visit www.wildaboutgardensweek.org.uk