The ups and downs of life as a hedgehog

TOWN and country cousins are faring very differently, finds the State of Britain’s Hedgehogs report, released yesterday by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS). Populations of ‘Britain’s favourite mammal’ have continued to decline in rural areas by 30% –75% since 2000, worst in the eastern half of England, whereas the urban hedgehog is stable and recovering.

‘The reasons for their decline are complex,’ explains Fay Vass, BHPS CEO. ‘Hedgehogs prefer villages to open farmland and follow field margins,’ adds David Wembridge of PTES. ‘Loss of landscape features such as hedgerows is partly responsible, but not fully, as recent efforts have been made.’ Landowners and farmers can help, which is why the charities are offering advice on factoring hedgehogs into Environmental Land Management schemes (www.hedgehogstreet.org/farmersadvice), as well as spreading the word through PTES’S Great British Hedgerow Survey and Government consultations.

It was Emperor Hadrian’s birthday last month, on January 24, a date that will have escaped the notice of most. This year, however, it marked the start of a months-long celebration of the 1,900th anniversary of Hadrian’s Wall, which will run until the end of Saturnalia (December 23). The hundreds of events in store along its 73 miles include festivals, walking tours, concerts and battle re-enactments; visit 1900.hadrianswallcountry.co.uk