Mystery of vanishing hedgehog? Blame the urban fox
THE decline of hedgehogs (Mail) has been blamed on many factors, including badgers, but I believe the main cause is the rise of the urban fox. When I was a young lad, my grandparents lived in the country. My uncle worked on a farm, and I spent every spare moment with him. I saw how foxes would take defenceless baby hedgehogs and even tackle an adult, despite their spines. My garden backs on to several acres of allotments, and in days gone by, hedgehogs were a common sight, often keeping my children awake in the summer with their mating calls and the noise they made as they trekked around the garden in a single file leading their young behind them. However, over the past 20 years, hedgehogs have virtually disappeared, but foxes are another matter. Instead of avoiding humans, as country foxes always did, I have seen urban foxes in my garden and they will even clamber on to the shed roof to rob bird food. They have been spotted walking alongside the dual carriageway and will even trot straight past me if I am standing at my front door. They are no longer creatures of the night as at any time during the day if I venture out to the allotments, it is not unusual to see a couple of foxes, who show no fear unless you move towards them. Regrettably, most of these urban foxes have mange.
MIKE HANSFORD, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.