Hoggy success story

[RobinP]

Here:

BBC NEWS | England | Tea cup hedgehog back in the wild

I haven't seen one alive (or dead) for some years, are they in serious decline? Plenty of slugs in my garden

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by RobinP

I haven't seen one alive (or dead) for some years, are they in serious decline? Plenty of slugs in my garden

Same here! I used to see loads in the garden and dead on the roads. I believe they're in _very_ serious decline.

Jim

[Hedgehoggy]

Hedgehogs have purportedly been around (and changed little) for a cool 15 million years, and are now estimated to be wiped out within a mere 15 years They have been included in the UK Biodiversity Plan, as a result of evidence of significant decline.

Winter starvation forms the single greatest threat to a hedgehog's survival, with 3/4 of the population dying before they are a year old. The loss of permanent pasture to arable farming in the countryside has reduced the number of grassland invertebrates on which hedgehogs feed, accompanied by a loss of cover with the removal of hedgerows. A variety of garden and agricultural pesticides (including garden slug pellets) enter their food chain, inflicting untold damage, as their food source is made mainly of "pest" species.

Tarmacing, gravelling, decking and 'over tidy' gardens all constitute loss of habitat and loss of natural food.

[vole-woman]

I hope we get hogs again this year. We had them pass through last year and we installed a house for them, so fingers crossed. Nice story about "little Millie"!

[ronscams]

I have just had my first wild hog come to the feeding station this week, a large male, I think there is another feeding as well, I also have seven hogs in pens getting ready to be released back into the wild, after sucsessfully getting them through the winter, some hibernated and some were kept warm in the house being to small to let sleep. view the clip of hog feeding in the feeding station
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idpvEpvBFUM

[Kayleigh]

We get them breeding under my shed...But then I live on a bus root and too many are killed on the roads.
This I believe is the main problem for the decline.
In summer there is at least one a day dead..
Its so sad..

[Hedgehoggy]

That sure is one hungry little hoggy there Ron! Lovely video, thanks for sharing. I'd love to invest in a garden cam, but wouldn't have a clue where to start! Good luck with all your releases, Ron. Mine have all been released now, so I'm hogless at the moment (until the phone rings again.... )

Kayleigh, hedgehogs do like a good shed - perfect for hibernating under and rearing their young Yes, it's very sad to see so many being killed on our roads Such a dreadful waste.