Hedgehog numbers halved in 2 decades

BRITAIN is facing a hedgehog crisis with numbers having halved since the turn of the century.

Conservationists warn the animals are in ‘severe decline’ in rural areas as they are forced out of their habitats by farming.

The findings of four surveys estimate there were 750,000 hedgehogs in Britain last year, compared to 1.5million recorded in 1995.

The statistics – for England, Scotland and Wales – come from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and People’s Trust for Endangered Species.

Less than 5 per cent of the total figure is believed to be for urban hedgehogs, which make up a tiny proportion of the population.

Emily Wilson, of Hedgehog Street, a public action campaign run by both groups, said: ‘There are many reasons hedgehogs are in trouble.

‘The intensification of agriculture through the loss of hedgerows and permanent grasslands, increased field sizes, and the use of pesticides which reduce the amount of prey available, are all associated with the plunge in numbers of hedgehogs in rural areas.’ Earthworms and slugs make up a large part of hedgehogs’ diet but can be scarce in agricultural soils, while there are concerns that the insects they feed on are in decline. It is also feared they are being killed by badgers and on country roads.

Experts say modern gardens, which have fewer plants and more paving and decking, are worse for hedgehogs. Meanwhile roads and housing developments built on green spaces are leaving hedgehogs isolated in habitats which do not join up. However, despite a decline of a third in hedgehog numbers in urban areas since 2000, the rate of decline in those areas is slowing. It is said they prefer gardens with hedges to bare farmland.

The decline in the countryside over the past two decades will cause alarm, as hedgehogs are one of the country’s most visible wild animals, much- loved because of the Beatrix Potter character Mrs Tiggy-Winkle.

Conservationists want to reverse the trend by working with farmers, who manage about 70 per cent of UK land.

Miss Wilson said: ‘Many farmers already have a sustainable approach to agriculture, and we think there’s a great opportunity to work more widely with them to stem the alarming decline of our country hedgehogs.’

Hedgehog Street says people can help the plight of hedgehogs by making a small hole, no bigger than a CD case, in a garden fence or wall to let them in.