Hedgehog Alert
We discovered the below poster in Malvern yesterday and it got us thinking about our soft and spikey hedgehog friends.
Many of us love hedge hogs and our community as well. As we get older, we can notice our friends with paws a little more and so we, are keen to share local news and views, which can help our local friends with paws.
Pumpkin carving and Halloween celebrations can be great fun but it is important to remember to bring your pumpkin back indoors at the end of the evening as they can be dangerous for hedgehogs.
Whilst discarded pumpkins can make for a nutritious snack for foxes and squirrels, if a hedgehog consumes too much pumpkin it can negatively affect their digestion leaving them weak and unable to hunt. In extreme cases this can be fatal.
Equally bonfire night can be concerning time for hedgehogs as an unlit bonfire can resemble an ideal environment to a hedgehog to hibernate in. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society suggest the following tips to keep hedgehogs safe:
The nation loves hedgehogs and we can see this affection in the Christmas decorations as seen in a local shop in Rhubarb at Home in Great Malvern.
Whilst discarded pumpkins can make for a nutritious snack for foxes and squirrels, if a hedgehog consumes too much pumpkin it can negatively affect their digestion leaving them weak and unable to hunt. In extreme cases this can be fatal.
Equally bonfire night can be concerning time for hedgehogs as an unlit bonfire can resemble an ideal environment to a hedgehog to hibernate in. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society suggest the following tips to keep hedgehogs safe:
- Move materials for the bonfire into position only on the day of the bonfire
- Check the bonfire carefully before setting it alight
- Only light one side of the bonfire in order to offer hedgehogs an escape route
The nation loves hedgehogs and we can see this affection in the Christmas decorations as seen in a local shop in Rhubarb at Home in Great Malvern.
Hedgehogs are the UKs only mammal that has spines and uses these to keep it safe from predators.
Hedgehogs hibernate to conserve energy in winter and through this process are able to slow down bodily functions to survive
Hedgehogs are important to the ecosystem but can also provide an indication of how the wider environment is doing. They mostly eat slugs, caterpillars and other invertebrates helping to keep the ecosystem in balance. For example, when the local hedgehog population is thriving this indicates that the diversity of the local environment is strong.
For more information about hedgehogs visit the British Hedgehog Preservation Society
https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk
Hedgehogs hibernate to conserve energy in winter and through this process are able to slow down bodily functions to survive
Hedgehogs are important to the ecosystem but can also provide an indication of how the wider environment is doing. They mostly eat slugs, caterpillars and other invertebrates helping to keep the ecosystem in balance. For example, when the local hedgehog population is thriving this indicates that the diversity of the local environment is strong.
For more information about hedgehogs visit the British Hedgehog Preservation Society
https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk
