nature

Wildlife Expert Urges People To Help Hedgehogs This Bonfire Night

Garden wildlife expert Sean McMenemy shares how people can save our spiky friends by giving them a safe bed at their most dangerous time of year

Bonfire Night is quickly approaching so experts are urging Brits to check their bonfires before setting them ablaze. Being nocturnal animals, hedgehogs are particularly at risk of being trapped in bonfires as they may mistake the bonfire log piles for shelters whilst roaming through the night.

On the British Red List for Mammals, hedgehogs are listed as ‘vulnerable to extinction’. According to The State of British Hedgehogs 2022 report, in the past two decades the hedgehog population is believed to have fallen anywhere between 33-77%. So it is more important now than ever to do everything we can to protect hedgehogs – starting by checking for them nestled in our bonfires on the 5th November.

Sean McMenemy, Garden wildlife expert and director at Ark Wildlife, says:
“Hedgehogs are a welcome sight in any garden, as they help keep control of pests like snails, slugs and other insects. With their natural habitats being destroyed by urbanisation, our gardens are a crucial place of safety for hedgehogs, so it’s important that people do everything they can to protect them whilst celebrating Bonfire Night.

“Bonfires appear to hedgehogs to be ideal places for shelter. Made from natural materials like wood and compost and full of small nooks and crannies to crawl into, it’s unsurprising that hedgehogs can easily mistake them for habitats.

“It’s certainly possible to have a wildlife friendly bonfire night if the right precautions are taken!”

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Creating a hedgehog-friendly bonfire

Don’t build it until the same day that you will light it. The longer it’s left for, 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 – 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.

How to help hedgehogs out of a bonfire

If you do find a hedgehog in your bonfire this year Sean McMenemy says to follow these steps to help them (even if your bonfire is already lit):

Move slowly and calmly in order to not alarm the hedgehog
Wearing a pair of gardening gloves, pick the hedgehog up
Place it in a high-sided cardboard box, containing plenty of newspaper
Relocate the box to a safe location that is far from any bonfires

Buying or creating hedgehog highways is also a great way to protect them from bonfires and helps the hedgehog population all year round. Hedgehogs travel up to a mile every night in search of food so leaving small gaps in fences for them to move between gardens prevents them from getting trapped or having to cross dangerous roads.

How to prepare a ‘hedgehog hideout’ to keep them away from your bonfire

At this time of year, hedgehogs prepare to go into hibernation so it’s especially important to discourage them from sheltering in bonfires and instead provide them with suitable places to rest.

You can buy or build a hedgehog house – either way, make sure it’s placed somewhere sheltered and is camouflaged with leaves, compost or tree branches.

photo by Sean McMenemy

Sean McMenemy has shared his top tips on how to prepare your own hedgehog hideout:

Place a hedgehog house in your garden that’s waterproof, well ventilated and in a quiet south facing position
Partly fill the house with handfuls of leaves, grass or hay but be careful to leave room for more materials because foraging for them is an important ritual for hedgehogs
You can also partially bury hedgehog houses in the ground, under a log pile, or compost heap – if you do then place roofing felt or plastic sheets under the runners to reduce excess dampness
Once the hedgehog box is in position, try to keep your distance and visits to a minimum as human smells and unnecessary disturbance may deter hedgehogs from taking up residence
To check if an animal is using the house, place a small, light object (such as some grass) in front of the entrance to see if it gets pushed away

To help hedgehogs outside of bonfire season, make sure to leave clean water and hedgehog food or meat-based cat or dog food out before dusk. Also, create ‘wild areas’ in your garden, such as piles of leaves and logs, to provide nests and attract the insects that hedgehogs need for their diet.

https://www.arkwildlife.co.uk/