Based in Worcestershire, the Vale Wildlife Hospital & rehabilitation centre, treat all manner of injured animals from birds, amphibians, reptiles and hedgehogs.
According to Vale, feeding hedgehogs with the right supplementary food is crucial. The newly launched Vale Hedgehog food is designed to provide the essential nutrients that may be in limited supply in their natural diet, especially during the colder months when insect populations are dwindling. A bowl of water alongside this specially designed food can help give hedgehogs everything they need to stay healthy.
“We all have a role to play in ensuring these brilliant creatures don’t become a distant memory. By leaving hedgehogs undisturbed, providing them with supplementary food and sharing the right knowledge, we can all help keep hedgehog numbers stable and even improve their chances of survival in the wild,” said Caroline Gould Vale Wildlife Hospital founder
In recent years, hedgehog populations across the UK have been in sharp decline. According to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), hedgehog numbers have dropped by over 50% in rural areas and up to 30% in urban environments over the past two decades. This dramatic fall is primarily attributed to habitat loss, but rising stress due to human interaction could also be a factor.
The wildlife hospital is encouraging members of the public to keep areas of their garden hedgehog-friendly, all while helping to nurture their outside space with limited mowing and pesticide use, as well as additional crawl spaces. Providing supplementary food can help support any shortages in their natural diet.
According to the hospital, hedgehogs are increasingly the most common patients brought in by concerned members of the public, often due to outdated misconceptions – such as that hedgehogs seen outside during the day at any time of the year need to be rescued. Vale experts stress that hedgehogs are nocturnal animals, but they are not strictly bound to a nocturnal schedule. They may forage during the day in certain circumstances, particularly when food is scarce or when they are preparing for hibernation and female hedgehogs may be seen out during the day when collecting nesting material during the breeding season.
As hedgehogs begin to appear more frequently in gardens and wild spaces after their hibernation, Vale Wildlife Hospital is urging well-meaning members of the public to leave hedgehogs undisturbed whenever possible. If there are any concerns about a hedgehog, advice should be sought from a reputable rescue before intervening.
