Holderness Hedgehog Hospital says 2023 was a record year

Holderness Hedgehog Hospital is seeing record demand for its services

An East Yorkshire charity which helps sick and injured hedgehogs says 2023 was their busiest on record.

Cath Novis, a trustee of Holderness Hedgehog Hospital, said its network of volunteers helped 525 of the animals, compared with 264 in 2022.

Ms Novis said increased awareness about the plight of hedgehogs could explain the increase.

However, she added extremes in the weather - in particular, heatwaves and flooding - were also to blame.

The charity urges people to contact them if they suspect a hedgehog is sick or injured

Ms Novis said the charity's team of volunteers have been "exceptionally busy."

Traditionally, this time of the year tends to be "very quiet", with most hedgehogs hibernating, she added.

"Usually we don't tend to receive our first hedgehogs until mid February. This year, though, the first hedgehog arrived on January 1st. Since then, we've had five more come to us."

An increased social media presence, combined with "television programmes featuring hedgehogs" is helping educate people about the creatures, said Ms Novis.

But the weather is also making life difficult for hedgehogs, increasing the likelihood of them requiring help from Ms Novis's 25-strong team.

"We've seen some very high temperatures over the past two summers," said Ms Novis. "When it's excessively dry, hedgehogs will come out during the day looking for water."

Conversely, wet weather has "flooded out" hedgehogs' habitats, she added.

In 2020, hedgehogs were included on the Red List for British Mammals, meaning they are vulnerable to extinction.

Ms Novis urged anyone with concerns about a hedgehog to contact the charity, but said people should not try to care for one themselves.