Why Britain’s hedgehogs are in serious trouble

It's one of Britain's favourite and most iconic animals, but our hedgehog is in trouble. (Subscribe: bit.ly/C4_News...)
Down from an estimated 36 million in the 1950s to only around 500,000 today. A new report from the Mammal Society has analysed data of squashed hedgehogs on our roads, to help show where the most dangerous areas are for the 100,000 killed by traffic each year. The charity hopes the mapping will inform measures to help hedgehogs cross the road safely and to slow the cars that are so lethal to them.
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[@RockismyAir]

Oh My God. I love hedgehogs. I dont want them to die.

[@nuckinfuts7610]

There really isn't anything on the face of the Earth that we won't carelessly destroy given the chance.

[@julesmiles6548]

have a family of hedgehogs in my garden, i winter them in my shed every year

[@S7ilgar]

That's amazing, put some videos online :)

[@garethrichardson7999]

How do you winter them in a shed?

[@martinconnors5195]

We have three in our front garden.

[@serjthereturn]

the motor car is responsible for so much damage in so many ways

[@mmally1925]

Badgers are a big problem to hedgehogs, especially now with the drought and food scarcity with the dry and hard soil the worms and slugs are finding it hard to feed at the top and worms are going deeper into the ground. Badgers will eat hedgehogs when food is scarce and are top of the list at the moment. Don't blame cars or the government for everything. I found an empty shell of a hedgehog in my garden with the feeding station torn apart.

[@italixxx]

the cars are taking out badgers too. cars are the main problem

[@DuncWilson]

I live in Mt Eden, near central Auckland. We’ve got hundreds, if not thousands, round here. Want some?

[@traceurGeorge]

This summer, I have seen a huge amount of dead hedgehogs around my city. Terribly sad every time I see one.

[@dannyrhym3ztv85]

I was just thinking I havent seen a hedgehog in a long time! Alive that is! ...I love them ❤

[@johnsmith1474]

The Greek poet Archilochus wrote, "... the fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing."

[@dave20thmay]

I feel that the present idea of fencing ourselves from our neighbors must also have an effect, as I know there was a hedgehog under next doors shed, and a new fence was erected both sides so limiting it's feeding range. I no longer see faeces showing signs of a night rummaging

[@jrbailey3208]

Planting HH friendly flora is the solution; neighbors getting together to provide high quality forage, with HH 'gates that allow movement from one yard to another, but PRECLUDES exit to roadways. We need solutions, not more facile blaming from emotive ninnies as in the video.

[@jolenehauck7019]

Why are people not doing something!? They are adorable!

[@malditasudaka]

The video give some ideas, but I think we can do much more working united as community. It's on us, let's not wait for others to do what we can do, we can help too and unite to do something that can actually help hedgehogs.

[@SevenEllen]

O_O Every year about 100,000 hedgehogs are killed?? So they only have four years left before going extinct?!!

[@stevejelly3161]

Mine is safe 🙂 ........... as shes asleep in the dinning room ........ .I love her .......... shes great

[@ourhedgehogsshropshire6459]

I would be so upset if any of the hedgehogs that live in our garden were to get injured

[@100ksubscribersyetnovideon3]

The ones here in my backyard.. must be illegal or something cos they not counted 🤣

[@dmx5439]

Right ,,,that's it ,,I'm going to start a hedgehog rescue ... I own a hedgehog he's my baby lol

[@ParkDongJun]

we need more hedgehogs in this world! im so sad looking at the statics I started cry

[@beaverundercover3479]

When I moved to Dagenham 10 years ago I so saw a hedgehog twice and my first thought was how are you going to survive the roads around here. I wanted to help but what can I do? I wanted to pick it up and call someone. They need to be move to somewhere safe. Now there have been zero sightings since.

[@ParcelOfRogue]

There are hedgehogs regularly seen in Bodicote, North Oxfordshire

[@S7ilgar]

4:10 : lol That's exactly what I was thinking about as she was explaining about the issue with cars :)

[@martinconnors5195]

I adore hedgehogs. I don't want these sweet and cute critters to go extinct.

[@LuciThomasHardylover-qx6ts]

And Berkshire council have just overturned a planning decision to make all new housing development to have a small hole in the garden fencing to allow hedgehogs to access gardens.

[@bigbensworld2020]

On the 3rd of June 2023, me, mum and aunty Debbie found a dead hedgehog on the road. It was my first time seeing a hedgehog😢. Mum moved it because it wasn’t squished.

[@123e90]

This ruined my lunch. I’m so sad now.

[@Meowtomee]

you eating hedgehogs?😂

[@Selectronify]

Is there anything eating hedgehogs, if so perhaps we could reduce their numbers and so save the hedgehog from extinction?

[@djscottfree2008]

Slug pellets wiped out the hedgehogs

[@lauraciornei8839]

A very bad idea to bring foxes in UK ,the foxes are atacking the hedgehogs ,I found one dead today in my garden and it's not the first one ....Very sad and stupid idea to mix the foxes with other animals ....

[@omry5033]

badgers are also are attacking hedgehogs

[@Numltv]

Beautiful video

[@5STARVLOGING]

I just saw one in my garden

[@splinterbyrd]

Of course it _may_ be that these fluctuations in animal populations are part of a natural cycle; ie in another fifty years there'll be 30 million hedgehogs again. But we can't assume that, and we need to be vigilant

[@jwillow2642]

they really need help, from autumn to winter, to many hogs are seriously ill due to parasites etc cause they eat slugs, people need to feed them more, why not people feed birds, same thing, also when they cant find food, they stay close to your garden in them months & will remember that garden then their babies will remember that garden 🦔

[@aye5519]

how it taste?

[@piotr780]

Only autonomous vehicles could save those great animals!

[@sonjalawson4925]

I wish the authorities would help with exporting some of our hedgehogs in New Zealand to Britain. Some people in NZ class hedgehogs as pests and actively kill them. I look after sick and injured hedgehogs and I think it is a waste to release these perfectly healthy hedgehogs that are quite likely end up either being trapped or poisoned or shot or otherwise killed. I have found the hedgehogs I have looked after are tolerant of being handled and confined. I have never had a hedgehog die of stress or not eat due to stress or being in captivity. Plus our seasons are opposite to Britain so when we are going into autumn and winter Britain are in spring and summer so be a perfect time to fly hedgehogs over to Britain so they have 4 to 6 months to acclimatize.

[@Frostie3672]

exporting them back here to the uk would be good but I think one reason they won't even consider it is due to what diseases they could bring back which are present over there in NZ but not here. Just breaks my heart to know some kill them over there, will never ever get my head around how anyone could do that :(

[@mikeharvey9811]

Every prickle helps

[@tiernanwearen8096]

Hedgehog tunnels

[@123benley]

Chorley hedgehogs rescue is over loaded and in much need of help ,donations, food, even people's time the lady Janette has dedicated half her life to helping them. And is over run struggle financially too do it all, so if people want to help please look them up , she picks up more than the RSPCA throughout the north east costing her a lot of money for food and vet bills so any helpful people please get in touch www.chorleyhedgehogrescue.co.uk/ There FB page www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=m.facebook.com/chorleyhedgehogrescue/&ved=2ahUKEwj_j7aBoZnnAhXUSBUIHbuDAc0QFjABegQIBhAC&usg=AOvVaw1C-0mVCzVC3ndw0r5533Ur&cshid=1579766618187

[@canadianpsychologist]

Cathy Newman is at fault for the hedgehogs' predicaments. Cathy Newman committed serious errors in her interview on Jan 16, 2018 and caused bad karma to fall on these poor hedgehogs. Cathy Newman didn't listen properly to her interviewee; instead, Cathy Newman formulated interview questions based on distortions of her interviewee's statements rather than what her interviewee actually said. Shame on Cathy Newman.

[@OriginalMudSlinger]

i would like breed and to take on a few h hogs in the solitude of my garden so when my children grow up they can help one across the road like it used to be roll it to the curb with your foot then toe poke it to the nearest hedge

[@johnsmith1474]

Well obviously they won't go to extinction, cars cannot cause that. As they decrease in density they will eventually simply not be crossing roads such that they are killed. They will drop to a low value and stay at that. This not something like a communicable disease, which would indeed wipe them out. I suggest they breed and release.

[@stephanieadams3747]

They've gone from 36 million hedgehogs to only 500,000... with 100,000 being killed every year by cars. Do the math...yes they can go extinct... and probably not long from now without comprehensive intervention.

[@muhammadah6850]

Stephanie Adams 100,000x70= 7m Let’s say hedgehogs never reproduce then that’s 7m. Let’s say the UK missed out on 10m deaths that’s 17m so how on earth does cars fully contribute it? And remember I said assuming hedgehogs never ever reproduce (I assume and am 100% they reproduce 😂)

[@scoobzino]

sonics next

[@Arounadabout]

I already ran him over

[@showme360]

Like all animals I see on the road I try to avoid them, squirrels are the most difficult, what we need is something to get ride of humans, Oh yes we are already doing that! Just keep on pump out those toxic gases, and it will all soon be over. Then nature can return to doing what it does best creating a beautiful world.

[@Slumber-gz5rx]

Be I get hedgehogs all the time 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@tiernanwearen8096]

Hopefully lockdown will give them a break

[@caesar7734]

❤️🦔

[@Mypatchytwat]

First one watching! ❤️

[@tonicdb]

Hedgehogs are twats

[@NBKRebelGamer87]

I love them but unfortunately I saw one in the road the other night with it's intestines splattered across the road which made me sick poor thing. I got out of the car a scooped it up with a dustpan & brush I keep in my boot and put it on the greenland at the side of the road. I barely see them anymore. Out of the last , 2 of them were dead. Also I live near a dual carriageway I walk my dogs at night and foxes live either side in the thick bushes and I often see them dead on the side of the road which makes me sad. They walk in the road with their backs to the traffic on a 50mph road. They stand no chance these poor animals. The older I have got the more compassion I have, every minute of their life is a fight to survive, they don't have the luxuries we do and need our help. The A5 toward Milton Keynes I see dead deer, dead badgers, foxes, everything because they don't fence the farm field and woodland sides. All they have to do is build a 3ft wooden fence and another 4ft of wire above that and they won't wander into the road. I wish their were local groups you can contact that will come and help if you find injured animals.