Tide Turning?

[wanderer]

Common sense would have suggested hedgehog surveys be carried out in parallel to badger culls. But that may have shown something the anti-cull people wouldn’t like to see.

Take the badgers away and British wildlife programmes would be knackered.... apart from the otters of course which is another problem in the making.

 

[Gordy1]

Taken last year with ipad, this year bought one of them trail cameras/ Camera trap like they use on spring watch & caught a few hedgehogs in the garden at night which I wouldn't normally of known about....... great little cameras

 

[matthew]

I'm in the middle of the original badger cull area, we are just beginning to see hedgehogs again as the badger numbers have been dramatically reduced.
Also back are snakes and field mice.

Good.
And just because a desk jockey 'scientist' with a bunch of 'ologies hasn't recorded something, doesn't mean it hasn't happened, or doesn't happen.

These observations were recorded by a Trustee of the Somerset Wildlife Trusts in the 1980s.

http://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2005/02/total-protection-for-badgers-sense-or.html

 

[Zippy768]

Never seen an alive hedgehog before until a couple of weeks ago.
This dude was in the back garden

Three nights later seen another two in the front garden, and I live in a town. They are fairly speedy I thought

 

[matthew]

I once put a snail in front of one, and he homed in like an Exocet missile.
Ker Unch!

That was the first one we’d seen in years.

 

[MrNoo]

Loads here in the garden here, have fed and watered them since summer, had 4 hoglets in the outside dog kennel that are now out and about the place. They are in fact rather speedy when they feel like it, also very interesting where and what they get up to using a thermal imaging rifle scope, oft to be seen right out in the middle of 30 acres fields scurrying about. We maybe lucky and get a late bunch of hoglets too, they are still taking the food so not gone to sleep yet for the winter. We have also just managed to train the terrier not to try and eat them!

 

[Grassman]

I would suspect that slug pellets are most likely for the decline in hedgehog population.

 

[Cranman]

Here is a link to the research:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-30130-4

It confirms many previous studies' observation that hedgehog numbers are negatively related to badger numbers and that there is a threshold of badger numbers above which hedgehogs cannot survive, see fig 2 and the map, fig 1, that relates the absence of hedgehogs to badger numbers in England and Wales

If you would rather see the map, uncomplicated by badgers, it is available in this article from the Guardian!!!!: ​

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/06/most-of-countryside-now-devoid-of-hedgehogs-study-finds

 

[Ley253]

I would suspect that slug pellets are most likely for the decline in hedgehog population.

May be, but I have yet to see a slug pellet with stripes and strong claws, and which is able to hunt down its prey!

 

[Acornworm]

Exactly why i think I've seen alot more.

Same here,but they do seem to like the spatchcock snails on the road

 

[AvonValleyFarmer]

No shortage of them here, feed them and water them as much as possible in the garden. I find them fascinating little creatures.

 

[Happy hillbily]

Not seen one for years till last year. Then the daughter found the young sheepdog harrasing this one a few weeks back.