Page 74 - 2021 Almanac

There are so many more animals around in May – many of them are babies. May is the perfect time for spotting young fox cubs or badgers. If you have ever watched Springwatch on the BBC, you will have seen how active these animals are, particularly at night.
A simple way to try spotting wildlife at night is to dress in dark clothing and sit very quietly in the garden while the sun goes down. Foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and bats become more active in the early evening. They come out of their homes looking for
slugs, worms and insects to eat. Now that the weather is warmer, there is a lot more food around!
Hedgehogs
These lovely little animals are sadly becoming very rare. There are now fewer than half the number of hedgehogs in the wild as there were in the year 2000. This is possibly because there are fewer hedges for them to live in as so many hedgerows have been replaced with fences. The other problem is traffic. Many hedgehogs are killed on the roads. Some towns have special ‘Hedgehog Crossing’ signs to warn drivers
to go slowly and look out for the creatures.
If you would like to get a hedgehog sign to put up where you live, visit www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk
Tinned cat food is a favourite treat for badgers, foxes and hedgehogs.
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