People reminded to check bonfires for hedgehogs

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society has published a checklist to help people minimise the risk to hedgehogs

People in Cornwall have been urged by a wildlife group to check for hedgehogs before lighting bonfires.

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society has published a three point checklist to help people minimise the risk to hedgehogs.

The checklist includes stopping to ask if you need a bonfire, moving the bonfire on the day and checking it before you light it.

Fay Vass, chief executive of the society, said hedgehogs looking for a "really cosy nest of sticks, leaves and twigs" often thought they had "hit the jackpot and found a five star hotel for winter - not realising that we are going to set light to it".

"Their defence mechanism is obviously to curl in a ball and hope the danger passes," she said.

Speaking on BBC Radio Cornwall, Mrs Vass said the society did not have any data on how many hedgehogs were killed or injured each year, as many incidents went unreported.

But she said rescue centres around the UK treated hedgehogs for burns with many of them having "to be put down".

She said anyone finding an injured hedgehog should "get them into a box with food and water" before contacting a local hedgehog rescue centre.

What are the three steps?

• Stop – do you need to have a bonfire this year? Can you attend a community event, or mark the occasion in a different, more wildlife-friendly way? The fewer bonfires there are, the fewer wildlife casualties there are too.

• Move – if you do decide to have a bonfire, always build it on the day you plan to light it. Move all accumulated materials to a new site as hedgehogs and other wildlife or pets may be hiding inside.

• Check – before lighting from one side, check the entire bonfire pile carefully for wildlife and pets. Shining a torch inside the pile, gently lift each section with a pole or broom. Never use a spade or fork as these can cause great harm. Listen for the huffing sound of a hedgehog which has been disturbed.