We have some amazing animal road signs in this country, in order to alert drivers of creatures which may be crossing the road. On average, 7 people are killed on our roads every year because of incidents involving animals in the road, and a further 1000 a year are injured. 
There are lots of Department of Transport signs warning about larger animals
Horses, cows, deer, and sheep....and smaller animals like frogs badgers and ducks
But this year a new sign has been introduced
Slow down for hedgehogs!
The Government hopes that these signs will not only reduce accidents and save lives, but also help the animal populations to flourish.
I visited a friend yesterday, and her husband was busy making a 'hedgehog house' as they'd spotted a hedgehog in their garden. We talked about ways to help hedgehogs - check out Hedgehog Street for more information. Our determination to keep our gardens to ourselves does not help- one average garden is not big enough for a hedgehog to roam and forage properly - a hedgehog can happpilytravel one mile in a night.
Hedges are better than fences and walls - but if you must have the latter, then a hole 13cm in diameter makes a good hedgehog highway. 13cm is too small a hole for almost all common pets to escape through. You can even buy signs [nb I do not think the hogs can read them though] DO NOT leave out bread and milk, whatever your granny may have told you. A saucer of water and another of dogfood is a much better diet
Before you strim, or light a bonfire in your garden, check there are no hogs hiding - but do leave a pile of rotting twigs and leaves in the corner for them to burrow into - or build them a hog-house. Grow native plants, and avoid using slug pellets. These are simple things to do - but will encourage hedgehogs into your garden. Let us hope they are happy and stay there, and do not venture out onto the roads in search of better habitats.
You could also buy a pint of Hobson's Brewery "Old Prickly, Snuffly Hedge Grog" beer. Hobsons are donating profits to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society- in the last 7 years, that has amounted to over £43,000 pounds!
How I wish I had Mrs Tiggywinkle to do all my ironing for me! Hedgehog, Hedgepig, Tiggywinkle, Fuzzypeg, Urchin, Hotchi-Potchi... did your family use any of the traditional nicknames for these spiky little creatures when you were growing up?
I hope your hedgehog population thrives!
ReplyDeleteBless, I confess to real ignorance here- do you have hedgehogs in your corner of the USA? Or is it just their larger cousins, the porcupines?
DeleteI have yet to see a hedgehog here in the garden in Scotland but am always hopeful. I do see a lot of dead badgers on the roadside though which is such a shame.
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be more roadkill than ever lately, which is sad
DeleteI have a hedgehog who strolls across the patio every now and then, so we have a little house made for it. So far it is disinterested, maybe has better lodging elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteIt is a noble idea! I hope it works! Perhaps we don't have hedgehogs because we lack a highway. We do have farm fields around us!
ReplyDelete