Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love hedgehogs and from the number of people in the parish who have contacted me, it appears that I’m not alone.
“Well, that’s OK”, you might think. “It’s an ideal location for a hedgehog, isn’t it?” “After all, we live in a beautiful area, lots of space for them to roam.” Yet our prickly neighbours are far from safe – even here!
Hedgehogs ‘do what it says on the tin’. They hog hedges, fences or walls. They’re not too fussy about what your garden boundary is made of as long as it’s safe and they can get through it… and that’s where I’m hoping for your help.
Hedgehogs can travel an average of one mile a night in search of food and a mate. Whilst hedges and scrubby areas offer vital protection, hedgehogs also need a clear route through gardens and other areas so that they can move easily from place to place.
The People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) believes that one of the main reasons why hedgehogs are declining so rapidly in Britain is because our garden boundaries are becoming more secure, reducing the amount of land available to them.
I’m on a mission to make our parish the most hedgehog friendly place in the land, starting with the creation of hedgehog ‘highways’, which will allow our hogs safe passage through our gardens and help them to avoid dangers such as our local roads.
“It’s an odd time to be thinking about that now, isn’t it?”, I hear you say. “They’ll be going into hibernation very soon.” You’re right, of course, but what better time to start. It will give our hogs the best chance of thriving when they reappear around February next year.
A hole the size of a CD case is sufficient for any hedgehog to pass through but will be too small for most pets. Some of our visitors (the spiny kind, of course) have been known to squeeze under a gate with a gap of just 8 cm!
So! I know that there are some brilliantly creative people living in our parish and I’d like to encourage you to think like a hedgehog. Would you be able to get through the garden unhindered? If not, what changes do you think would really help?
You might think of cutting a small hole in your fence or digging a channel underneath your wall or gate. The possibilities are endless… The village of Kirtlington in Oxford is proof of that… take a look at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/17/prickly-business-hedgehog-highway-knits-a-village-together-kirtlington-oxfordshire-aoe
I reckon that we can give Kirtlington a run for its money!
I’d love to hear from you if you’d like to get involved. I’m planning to create a hedgehog highway map so that we can see how work is coming along and, of course, I’d love to hear from anyone as dotty as me about hedgehogs! You can contact me by telephone (07541 233222) or e-mail (bluegrassdobs@btinternet.com).
Debs Evans
PS: See more about hedgehogs on this website by clicking here: https://eastmeonnature.com/hedgehogs/