Hedgehogs’ highways to help protect the species
WAY TO CREATE ACCESS TO GARDENS
A WOMAN from Market Weighton started a “hedgehog highway” project to save the animals after realising her children had never seen one.
Linda Cook, 39, said she was used to seeing hedgehogs all the time as a kid, however, as an adult, she realised she did not because of the animal’s steady decline to endangerment.
So she decided to take matters into her own hands and after four years of raising awareness towards the endangerment of hedgehogs, Linda launched the Hedgehog Highways project.
She said: “One of the reasons hedgehog populations are falling all over the country is because they don’t have access to people’s gardens. A lot of the new buildings are built like fortresses and they can’t get in and forage for food.
“So I decided to start the Hedgehog Highways project to get more people to install them in their fences so they can get around.
The “highways” are 5-in gaps in a wall or fence with a hedgehog on the frame that allow the small creatures to run through so they can forage for food, meet mates to breed and access nesting sites.
Linda says apart from serving its functional purpose, the Hedgehog Highways also create a talking point that would encourage others to get their own and join the project, as well as raise awareness for the struggle for survival hedgehogs currently face.
She adds that the project’s priority now is to encourage councils, community groups and businesses to get boxes of hedgehogs highways and become a part of the project so they are more widely available to people all over the country.
“If everyone asked their councils or local businesses to get involved, it would create a lot of awareness around the topic,” she said.
“People would see them and say ‘oh what are they for.’ Especially for older people who are not online as much, they could go into a council officer and see what it’s all about.”
Anyone interested in being a part of the project can email Hedgehogs rescue through email at hedgehogsrus@ mail.com or visit hedgehogsrus.co.uk/ hedgehog-highway-project for more information.