As snuffling hedgehogs make their preparations for winter, I remember lockdown 2020, when my mum and I heard them in our garden for the first time and the hedgehog fever (or obsession in my mum’s case) took hold. I have always been a wildlife fanatic: I remember my excitement over my very own pair of binoculars or my attempt at creating a YouTube video on how to make a bird box when I was 8. So when we heard about Urban Wildlife Champions we jumped at the chance to help the beloved hedgehogs we saw each night in our garden.
Our first meeting was a success; we had a good turnout of enthusiastic people and built the foundations of a community group to support hedgehogs in Great Baddow. We discussed a range of ways in which individuals can support hedgehogs in their garden including:
- Providing freshwater and dog or cat food
- Avoiding pesticides and other chemicals
- Keeping netting raised off the ground and covering open drains
- Leaving areas of the garden to grow wild
- Advice for finding a sick hedgehog
In particular, we discussed the importance of making hedgehog holes, for hedgehogs to pass through, and we created a map of all them in our community. We then talked about missing areas where we would like people to add a hedgehog highway to their garden so they are free to move around our community. We hope that this will enable hedgehogs to move more freely and safely around Great Baddow , so that it can become a stronghold for hedgehogs.
