The much-loved hedgehog needs our help. Hedgehogs have recently been categorised as vulnerable (the third highest threat category) by the Mammal Society along with hazel dormouse, serotine bat and Barbastelle bat in the first official Red List for British Mammals.

 Anyone can help hedgehogs whether at home, at school, at your workplace or on farms. The Pledge for Nature project (organised by the North Devon Biosphere) is currently promoting actions to help hedgehogs across northern Devon.

This time of year is vital as hoglets will be starting to emerge and it’s important that hedgehogs gain the fat reserves necessary for hibernation in October/November.

"There are 15 million gardens in the UK, covering about 270,000 hectares – more than the area of all the National Nature Reserves. Together they can make a crucial difference to hedgehogs." Devon Wildlife Trust

"No single garden is large enough for a hedgehog population, and no single garden can offer everything they need. Think of your garden as part of a local network." Hedeghog Street.

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The following simple actions can make a real difference:

Access: Ensure your hedgehogs can travel from garden to garden. Making a simple CD-sized hole in a fence or boundary is one of the best things you can do to help.

Water: Leave a shallow dish of fresh water out in your garden every evening - and please make sure your ponds have gradual slopes or ramps.

‍Food: Their diet includes worms, beetles, slugs,caterpillars and earwigs. You can leave out specific hedgehog food or cat or puppy biscuits and cat or dog tinned food for hedgehogs - but please do NOT feed them mealworms, sunflower hearts, peanuts, bread or milk.

‍Gardening and shelter: Wild patches in your garden as well as a logpiles or pre-made hedgehog homes are great ways to offer shelter for hedgehogs to nest, rest and hibernate in. Please check whether hedgehogs are hiding in your compost heap before forking over, and check areas of long grass or under hedges before using strimmers or mowers. Finally, of course, don’t forget to check log piles before lighting bonfires. Try natural alternatives to slug pellets such as spreading coffee grounds.

Citizen science: You can record your hedgehog sightings on the Big Hedgehog Map.

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Please let us know what you can do / or are doing to help hedgehogs in north Devon.

🦔You can log your pledge on our pledge map

🦔inform us via our Pledge for Nature Facebook group‍

🦔or send us an e-mail and we will enter this on the map!

You could also Become a Hedgehog Champion and sign up on the Hedgehog Street Website for free downloadable resources.

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