Page 9 - Oundle Life November 2021

• Create a log pile in your garden, this will provide natural shelter and food – don’t disturb it. Or consider putting out a hedgehog house.
• Ask everyone you know to check for hedgehogs before strimming or mowing. Check compost heaps before sticking a big fork in there too!
• If you’ve got a pond, make sure hedgehogs can get out if they fall in. Ideally create sloping edges, or failing that provide ramps or steps up.
• Why not become a Hedgehog Champion? Hedgehog Street is run by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society in partnership with the People’s Trust for Endangered Species. Just go to https://www. hedgehogstreet.org/ and sign up – it’s free to join and you’ll get access to lots of hedgehog information.
• If you see any hedgehogs out during the
day looking lethargic, wobbly, injured or covered in flies, they need urgent help. Get them indoors into a big deep box. Keep them somewhere calm and quiet until you can get help. Give them an old towel or similar and ideally a wrapped warm hot water bottle (which you will need to keep topped up with warm water, so it doesn’t go cold). You need enough space in the box so that they have room to get off the water bottle if they get too hot. Offer a small amount of meaty cat or dog or hedgehog food and water (don’t force feed). Call the British Hedgehog Preservation Society on 01584 890801 for contact details for your nearest hedgehog rescue.
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British Hedgehog Preservation Society
www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk