Leaving water for hedgehogs 'may save life' in hot spell

Hot weather makes it harder for hedgehogs to find insects to eat, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society said

Leaving a bowl of water out for a hedgehog could "save a life" during the hot weather, a charity says.

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) in Ludlow, Shropshire, stated water and food were "scarce" for the mammals when it was hot and dry.

Research in the State of Britain's Hedgehogs 2022 report found population numbers were down in rural areas by between 30% and 75% since 2000.

The decline was starting to stabilise in urban areas, the BHPS said.

After high temperatures were forecast for this week, it stated when the weather was hot, the ground was hard and "bugs and grubs" went "further down into the ground", becoming inaccessible.

Hedgehogs "can't scratch at it", the charity said.

It was "reminding people of the importance" of leaving shallow bowls of fresh water, such as plant pot saucers, out for hedgehogs and other wildlife.

CEO Fay Vass said it was "peak baby season" and there were "lots of hungry mouths".

She stated: "Water and food is scarce for hedgehogs when it's hot and dry, making water available can literally save a life.

People are being asked to leave out shallow bowls of water for wildlife during hot weather

"Pop a few pebbles in to make sure insects can escape and if you can, offer visiting hedgehogs some meaty cat or dog food [on a separate bowl] too."

She also said hedgehogs seen in daylight sunbathing were "in need of urgent help". The charity offers help to those with sick or injured hedgehogs.

Ms Vass said it encouraged people to make "hedgehog highways", such as gaps in garden fences, and "the message is getting through to make sure habitat is joined up for wildlife".

She said the decline in the hedgehog population in urban and rural areas was "largely due" to a loss of habitat.

When land suitable for hedgehogs was not joined up with other appropriate pockets of land, then "it doesn't provide enough habitat to sustain a viable population," Ms Vass said.

"Hedgehogs will travel one to two miles in a night, so that's quite a lot of gardens."