Hunstanton writer’s concerns over hedgehogs and other wildlife
Early last summer, when politicians were preparing for the general election, I expressed concern about the lack of interest being shown by candidates towards biodiversity and animal welfare. Post-election policies have shown that my fears were fully justified. For example, I was horrified to learn that the cruel and unjustified slaughter of badgers is to continue for the next five years, for no other reason than to please a few dairy farmers, at a time when more and more consumers are switching away from milk and dairy products to plant-based alternatives.
A few days ago I was sorry for Barry Gardiner MP, the Under Secretary of State for Biodiversity, Landscape and Rural Affairs. He was a guest on BBC Newsnight, shortly after the announcement that Heathrow is to get a third runway by 2050. To justify this controversial decision, and the watering down of Environmental Impact Assessments in the planning process, Labour ministers had been implying that economic growth cannot be hindered by concern for bats or newts. Barry appeared to be very unhappy with this cavalier approach by his colleagues to endangered species.
Last month I was reminded that it is not just newts and bats that are vulnerable to extinction in this country. My wife returned from a Hunstanton U3A talk by Jan Smith with an excellent leaflet on hedgehogs, which I will attempt to summarise in this week's column, starting with the threat to sleeping hedgehogs posed by strimming or mowing. With an increasing number of gardens being rewilded, at least to some extent, there is actually an increasing risk to these nocturnal creatures, which sleep in long grass or piles of leaves during daylight hours, when a strimmer or mower can inflict painful and life-threatening injuries. When I asked Jan to give my readers a potted version of her talk, she came up with the following points, which I have slightly paraphrased.
A hedgehog-friendly garden is based on their needs for shelter, safety, free movement, food and water. Along with flowers, plant shrubs and hedges. Include some wild areas with long grass, log piles and compost heaps. These will provide both food and shelter. Choose native plants and any others that attract insects. Hedgehogs eat around 100 insects in a night, from beetles and grubs to worms and caterpillars. This is their staple diet.
Avoid garden chemicals, including insecticides, herbicides and slug pellets, which not only destroy potential food supplies, but can be directly toxic to hedgehogs and other animals. Hedgehogs can roam over a wide area in search of food, so install a hole measuring approximately 13cm x 13cm at the bottom of any fence bordering a hedgehog-friendly environment, thereby creating a hedgehog highway. If the wildlife gardener still feels the need to burn piles of garden waste, light the bonfire as soon as it is built, or move it just before it is lit, in case a hedgehog has taken up residence.
Ponds are good for most wildlife, but not for hedgehogs, unless sloping sides make it as easy to get out as it was to fall in!
Depending on their body weight, the length of winter hibernation can vary, but any hedgehog out in the day is almost always poorly and in need of help. Place it in a high-sided box indoors and call Hodmedods Helpline on 07724 005692 or Ryston Rachel's Hedgehog Hotel on 07724 005692. Want to know more about hedgehogs? Visit www.hedgehogstreet.org
