Hedgehog warning ahead of bonfire night

Small and simple actions, like building bonfires on the night, having holes in fences and leaving food and water out could really help the species

A hedgehog hospital said it was having to deal with an increase in the number of the animals becoming injured, sick or dying.

Suzanne Tibbetts, from Hartford Hedgehog Rescue in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, said rescuers were receiving more calls for help.

"There's very little they struggle with that isn't a direct reflection of what we have implemented," she added, noting the impact of new developments on habitats.

With bonfire night around the corner, she urged people to build fires on the night, rather than in advance, as it acted as a warm place for a hedgehog to nest.

"Whenever people say 'we've never seen any hedgehogs in in our garden', I always say it's because they're all in my hospital," Mrs Tibbetts said

Mrs Tibbetts has been taking part in talks to educate and spread awareness about how to help hedgehogs.

She recommended creating holes in fences for them to move through, leaving out food such as kitten kibble and water, not over tidying gardens, having ramps in ponds and taking care while gardening.

If a hedgehog is spotted out during the day, it needs help immediately, unless it is moving with purpose and it is "blatantly obvious that they're on a mission", she added. It is then likely to be nesting or a feeding mum.

"The list is endless, it amazes me we've got any left with all the things they've got going against them," Mrs Tibbetts said.

"Rescues across the country are doing such a good job.

"I'm just working tirelessly to take them in, rehabilitate them, get them out and it is a never-ending task. There's no break."

We get hedgehogs coming in with injuries from bonfires because their natural defence isn't to run away, it is to curl up

In the UK, hedgehogs have suffered historic declines, with a study in 2022 finding numbers had fallen by up to 75% in rural areas since 2000.

The latest update to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) said hedgehog numbers had suffered rapid declines and the species was listed as "near threatened" in a global assessment.

IUCN experts said the species was suffering from increasing human pressure, including intensive agriculture which damages their rural habitat, roads and urban development.

However, in urban areas previously declining populations were starting to show signs of recovery.

Mrs Tibbetts added she had noticed pockets of urban hedgehogs that were "thriving" because people were becoming more aware of what to look out for.

Additional reporting by PA Media.