Dry summer blamed for hedgehog feet injuries

Lizzy has a foot injury thought to have been caused by clawing at parched ground

Hedgehogs are injuring their feet as they claw at parched ground in the search for worms and other grubs during one of the driest summers on record, a rescue group has said.

Wolds Hedgehog Rescue, based in Hutton, East Yorkshire, said there had been a significant increase in foot injury cases, which it links to the weather.

The group's Ann Day said: "Hedgehogs are trying to dig at hard, compacted ground, and unfortunately we're seeing increasing numbers losing their nails and injuring their feet."

With autumn approaching, and with it the need for the animals to gain weight ready for hibernation, Ms Day said putting out shallow bowls of water and dried cat food would "make a big difference".

A drought was declared in Yorkshire this summer for the first time since 2022, with the area experiencing one of the driest years on record.

Ann Day with Lizzy, one of several hedgehogs nursing a foot injury

Ms Day, whose group cared for about 500 sick and injured creatures last year, said: "We have seen a 50% increase in the number of hedgehogs coming to us with foot injuries.

"After such a dry summer, the ground is extremely hard, with the soil very compacted."

Ms Day said her team of about 40 volunteers had also seen injuries caused by artificial grass.

"We are seeing quite a few burn injuries. Hedgehogs are walking across artificial grass that retains heat."

'Abandoning babies'

The lack of food and water caused by the dry weather has led to increased numbers of hoglets being abandoned, said Ms Day.

"Hedgehogs are abandoning their babies because they have not been able to produce enough milk," she said.

But people can play their part in protecting the animals.

"Just putting out a shallow bowl of water and some cat biscuits will make a big difference as we head into autumn," Ms Day said.

Fay Vass, chief executive of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, said: "While specific increases in foot injures haven't been reported to us yet, it is certainly something that could be impacting hedgehogs searching for food in hard, dry earth.

"We are increasingly aware of the toll long spells of drought are having on wild hedgehogs."

BBC climate correspondent and presenter Paul Hudson said the lack of recent rainfall was "striking", adding: "Across the UK, spring was the warmest on record and summer also looks set to be a record breaker – quite easily beating the previous record, which was set only in 2018.

"After the driest spring in England for over 100 years, summer has also been exceptionally dry."

'False autumn'

Mr Hudson said the impact of the dry weather was "clear to see", citing hosepipe bans and a wildfire in North Yorkshire that has raged for nearly three weeks, causing "huge damage to the local ecosystem".

He added: "Reservoir levels have continued to fall and have now reached just 35.8% on average – a record low for late August.

"Many areas have entered a 'false autumn', with trees shedding leaves weeks early because of the lack of moisture in the ground."

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