COUNTRY LIFE
Help protect hedgehogs
Gift to Nature is responsible for a variety of conservation sites
around the Island, it is their mission to not only care for the
Island’s wildlife but encourage everyone to get out and explore
our fantastic countryside.
N
ationally the hedgehog
population has rapidly declined
over the last few years, due to
a variety of reasons including loss of
habitat, use of pesticides and road traffic
accidents.
According to the British Hedgehog
Society there were estimated to be
30million in Britain in the 1950s. By
1995 this estimate was thought to be just
1.5million.
Paul Critchley of Diamond Isle
Sculptured Glass at Arreton Barns has
been a stalwart supporter of Gift to
Nature for many years and he has asked
that the donations he receives are used
towards promoting hedgehog awareness.
This includes the information provided
on the Gift to Nature website www.
gifttonature.org.uk and, new for 2014,
hedgehog ‘starter home’ packs to donate
to local schools and groups.
There is plenty that people can do to
help in their own gardens by offering a
safe haven, access to other gardens and
foraging opportunities. Why not start to
make a few simple adaptations to your
garden to make it a safe and inviting
habitat?
• Hedgehogs like to eat slugs, snails and
insects so anything you can do to attract
more bugs to your garden will help.
• Slug pellets can kill hedgehogs so
choose safer, more natural methods.
• Build your own hedgehog box or buy a
ready-made one; it should be sited in a
quiet spot hidden by ground-covering
plants, low shrubs or tree branches.
• Build a wood pile, as these are great for
a variety of wildlife and can make great
spots for hedgehogs to build their nests.
• Provide a shallow ramp out of ponds to
allow any individuals to escape.
• Check they can’t become entangled in
loose netting.
• Hedgehogs can forage over a wide
area, up to two miles each night, so it
helps if you leave space for them to get
under fences, or ideally plant flowering
hedges.
• Never feed them bread and milk as this
can create serious digestion problems.
For more information please
contact: Natural Enterprise, tel: 01983
201565, email: tracy.underwood@
naturalenterprise.co.uk or visit www.
naturalenterprise.co.uk
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