People urged to be mindful of hedgehogs on roads

The Manx Hedgehog Conservation Society was founded in 2015

People have been urged to be mindful of hedgehogs on and around the roads.

The Manx Hedgehog Conservation Society said it had noted an increase in the number of the animals being run over.

Society founder Sandra Huyton said that was due to an increase in the number of the creatures "out and about" due to wet weather drawing out food like snails and slugs.

It was "very important" that hedgehogs were "given the best chance to survive "in order to help keep the island's ecosystems in "balance", she said.

The animals, which can live for up to 12 years, typically hibernate between autumn and spring.

The society operates a helpline offering advice to people who come injured hedgehogs on the island.

Survival

Ms Huyton said the high number of rainy days meant there was an "abundance" of food for nursing sows, leading to a rise in the number of hoglets surviving to leave the nest.

That in turn had led to more of the creatures entering Manx roads.

She said on average 50% of the animals on the island were killed by vehicles each year, and the increase in juveniles this year was leading to a corresponding spike in deaths.

While there had been a rise in the number of juvenile hedgehogs so far in 2024, the deaths of nursing sows on the roads could reverse that trend should the hoglets also die as a result of the mother not returning to the nest, Ms Huyton said.

She said: "It is important to highlight how important it is that hedgehogs are given the best chance to survive to also provide a balanced ecosystem on the Isle of Man.

"We should continue to keep them safe so we can give them the best chance possible to have the life that they deserve."