News: Spring/Summer 2006

A wildlife group has released 15 rescued hedgehogs into selected gardens in an East Riding village.

The hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) were released in the gardens in Swanland under a project run jointly by the Swanland Wildlife Group and Hull's Hedgehog Hospital. Hedgehogs are under threat across the UK because of traffic, loss of their natural habitat and pesticides such as slug pellets. The wildlife groups began working together to return hedgehogs to safe areas. The hospital always has more hedgehogs than it has space for and needs safe places to release them. And Swanland has an endangered hedgehog population, in line with the national downward trend, which is particularly prevalent on the eastern side of England.

Food and water is put out every evening for a week until they have established a territory. The main thing is that the garden is wildlife-friendly. The hospital provides garden owners with a 'hedgehog house', food and water bowls and feed for the animals' first week in its new home. After the first week the hedgehog will have marked out its territory and will be able to feed itself. It is hoped the newly released hedgehogs will thrive and breed.

ThisIsHull. 2006. Prickly pals get home comforts. Viewed at http://www.thisishull.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=136787&command=displayContent&sourceNode=136782&contentPK=14551771&folderPk=79658 on June 14th 2006.