Volunteer spends decades caring for injured Isle of Man hedgehogs

A woman who has nursed sick and injured hedgehogs on the Isle of Man back to health for decades said she has been "humbled" by the public's support.

Vera Barber has been caring for the small animals inside her home and garage in Peel since the 1980s.

Known locally as the Hedgehog Lady of Peel, she said she aims to give the hedgehogs some "rest and recuperation" before releasing them back into wild.

The Manx Wildlife Trust described her efforts as "fantastic and selfless".

Public donations of food were recently arranged by the charity to help Ms Barber feed the 15 hedgehogs currently hibernating in special cages in her garage.

It had been a "very quiet" year compared to the previous winter when she cared for 53 of the creatures, she said,

Earlier this year, she hand-reared 14 hoglets, feeding and cleaning up after them "for 90 minutes, five-times day, which she said had left her "exhausted".

The volunteer said she only handles them when she has to, as "they are wild animals"

More than 30 years ago, Ms Barber first started looking after an injured hedgehog that a friend had rescued, before more people started to bring the animals to her.

"Now it is all sorts of people really. If the hedgehog gets taken into the vet, they treat it and then ring me and say 'have you got space for another one? I usually say yes," she said.

"People go out and use slug pellets and insecticide, which is reducing their natural food supply, and I just feel I have to put something back."

The Manx Widlife Trust organised a food donation for the hedgehogs being cared for

The Manx Wildlife Trust suspects the Manx hedgehog population is healthier than the UK's, in part due to the island's "great hedge systems", Hannah Phillips from the charity said.

The creatures still need "protection" from threats like habitat loss and chemicals and pesticides that reduce their food supply, she added.

Ms Barber admitted she is "not very good with people", but said public support for her work, which includes talks to schools and community groups, was welcome.

"It is very, very nice to know that people think so highly of me, whereas I just plod along", she added.