People are being urged to avoid leaving their used pumpkins in woodlands this Halloween. The warning comes from the UK's largest wildlife charity, The Woodland Trust, which has highlighted the dangers of doing so to wildlife.
Pumpkin flesh can be fatal to hedgehogs, which are already declining across Britain. A 2022 report by The State of Britain's Hedgehogs revealed hedgehogs have declined by between 30 and 75 per cent across different areas of the British countryside since 2000, with the largest declines in the eastern half of England.
Large amounts of pumpkin can also cause them to suffer severe stomach upsets, diarrhoea and dehydration, which can be detrimental at this time of year as they go into hibernation. Pumpkin flesh also has a damaging effect on local plant life.
