SHU Hedgehog Friendly Campus

🔥How to check for hedgehogs in bonfires…🦔

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Don’t forget this weekend… Please check all bonfires BEFORE they are lit. This is a very frightening time for wildlife, livestock and domestic animals …

If you can’t re-stack a bonfire….Then get some broom handles and poke deep inside, right into the middle, to find any hedgehogs that may have made their bed in there… if they are asleep, they won’t wake… if you find a hedgehog, gently remove and relocate somewhere safe..

***** If anyone local to us would like be able to go and help check the bonfire at Shelley Cricket Club, during the day tomorrow, the lovely people there would be very grateful for any help… *****

With Guy Fawkes Night fast approaching, please remember to check your bonfires for hedgehogs who may be sleeping.

Our spiky friends are rapidly on the decline and you can help to prevent unnecessary loss. Follow this wildlife friendly advice from British Hedgehog Preservation Society:
• Don’t build your bonfire until the same day that you will light it. The longer it’s left, the more likely that a hedgehog will find its way into your bonfire.
• If you need to build your bonfire in advance, make sure you place chicken wire one metre high all the way around the bottom. This should be placed at an outward angle to make it more difficult for hedgehogs to climb.
• If you have stored materials for your bonfire outdoors, before building it move them to a different patch of ground before you start.
• Always place the bonfire on open ground but never on a pile of leaves as a hedgehog may be hiding underneath.
• Always check the entire bonfire for hedgehogs before lighting it. Remember that they tend to hide in the centre and bottom two feet in particular.
• When checking, lift parts of the bonfire section by section using a pole or broom. Do not use a fork, spade or rake as this may injure a hedgehog.
• Use a torch to look inside the bonfire and listen for a hissing sound, as this is the noise that hedgehogs make when they are disturbed or distressed.
• Always light your bonfire from one corner, rather than in the centre, in order to give hedgehogs a chance to escape if they need to.

Remember, remember the Fifth of November but don’t forget about our wildlife! 🦔🔥

Artwork by Becky Cameron Illustration ❤️

Hi Everyone
Just stick with bowl of dried cat food they DO NOT NEED PUMPKIN if you want to save your nightly prickly visitors suffering chronic upset tummy losing all the nutrients it is now so hard trying to be building up to prepare it'self to at some time hibernate.
Being unwell after eating your left over pumpkin will undo what we are trying to do this time of year to fatten them up,even the seeds inside could cause a hog to choke,or get them stuck in the roof of it's mouth.
SO REMOVE IT FROM THE GROUND, and place it higher for other wildlife but not HEDGEHOGS.

This poor hedgehog was spotted in Wembley this week. The finder had the presence of mind to take a short video, highlighting the problems litter can cause hedgehogs, before rushing to release this one who took a moment to recover and moved off quickly. Please dispose of litter carefully. 🎥 Hiteshkumar

The recent hot weather is really affecting wildlife, we have seen at least 4 poorly hedgehogs last week alone. They are desperate for water and are becoming dehydrated and exhausted😢. Please place a shallow water dish in your garden, to offer them some water and a chance to survive summer ☀️.

Some more tips to be hedgehog friendly ⬇️
https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/leaflets/Hedgehog-Street-top-tips.pdf

Grant hoggy wishes for our 40th birthday! !

It's ! 🦔

Hedgehogs are one of the UKs most loved animals, however numbers have been declining for a variety of reasons such as loss of habitat and reduced food sources. By gardening in a wildlife friendly way, we can help our spiky friends move around safely and find a home. 🏡 Take a look at what small changes you can make in your garden to help protect these lovely creatures 🧡⬇️

Remember, if you spot a hedgehog that looks unwell you can contact the British Hedgehog Preservation Society to gain in depth advice and find a local rescue centre. ✅