We organised an online Wildlife Matters event to discuss what we can all do to help. Chaired by Head of Conservation, Cheryl Marriott, the panel included Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Tom Shelley and Laura Fox, who were joined by Dave Groves from the Cornwall Mammal Group and Dave Hudson and Katy South from Prickles & Paws Hedgehog Rescue.

If you’d like to watch the Wildlife Matters event yourself, you can find the recording below. Or perhaps just read this guest blog by Will Hazell, and hear about five key things we learned. 

Hedgehogs are coming to us

Whilst their numbers are declining across Britain, there is a surprising trend at work as well — hedgehogs seem to be gravitating towards residential areas and away from life in the open countryside. 

Dave Groves described a study last year where tracking tunnels were placed in fifteen Cornwall Wildlife Trust nature reserves across Cornwall. In the end, only one of these recorded any hedgehogs at all. Hedgehogs are showing signs of being more prevalent than previously expected in more urban areas, confirmed by volunteers who recorded them when placing the tunnels in their own gardens.

What does this tell us? That we we all have an important part to play in securing their future – with actions at home and by supporting projects like Operation Hedgehog.

Hedgehogs do like to be fed 

It goes without saying that a wild diet is the ideal — if hedgehogs can sustain themselves by munching local insect life, more the better. But given the challenges they face, hungry (and thirsty) hedgehogs will obviously benefit from a helping hand from time to time. 

This is especially true during spring, when they will be trying to replenish fat reserves, and during autumn, when they’ll be chunking up in preparation for winter. Milder periods during the winter can also be an important time, since warmer weather may prompt them to leave their hibernation in the interests of finding a snack. 

The right food matters. You can now buy special hedgehog food, which obviously ticks all the right boxes, but cat food will also do the job, as long as it doesn’t comprise fish. Raw mince and scrambled egg are also good choices. 

It’s important to note that there are a few no-nos as well. Mealworms are often given to hedgehogs, but should ideally be avoided since they contain a lot of phosphorus, which can lead to metabolic bone disease. Prickles & Paws near Newquay currently have a hedgehog struggling with this, but hope that calcium supplements will get her back on her feet soon enough.

Arguably even more important than food is water, so don’t forget to leave a bowl of water outside if you don’t have an easily accessible pond. Make sure not to offer any milk though, since hedgehogs are actually lactose intolerant. 

Hedgehogs are in danger, but there is hope 

Not to lay on the bad news too thick, but it is worth clarifying just how alarming the situation is currently. When the IUCN published the first Red List for British Mammals a few months ago, hedgehogs were listed as being ‘vulnerable to extinction’. Those are words which surely leave no doubt about the seriousness of the species’ plight. 

But, as Dave Groves pointed out, there is hope. Given the right circumstances — connected habitats and some healthy biodiversity— hedgehogs are very capable of bouncing right back. For an example of this we only need to look at some Scottish islands where accidental hedgehog arrivals quickly established themselves. 

So, while hedgehogs may greatly need a helping hand, it is reassuring to know we at least have the means to give it. That, if nothing else, should be an encouraging thought.