A conservation charity has issued a plea to the public to look out for hedgehogs ahead of Bonfire Night this year.
The UK's hedgehog population is in decline and as the weather becomes colder, wetter, and darker, they start to look for places to hibernate for the winter. And finding a ready-made sleepy spot such as an unlit bonfire means that the small spiny mammal feels it has hit the jackpot.
What would happen if the bonfire was lit needs no introduction, so Northumberland Wildlife Trust have issued seven simple tips to avoid harming hedgehogs on and ahead of Bonfire Night.
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These are:
- Built a bonfire on the same day it is to be lit. Hedgehogs can walk up to 3km in one night, so one could easily wander in overnight.
- If you have stored materials for your bonfire outdoors then move them to a different patch of ground.
- 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. 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 a broom - a fork, spade or rake may injure a hedgehog.
- Use a torch to look inside the bonfire and listen for a hissing sound, the noise hedgehogs make when disturbed or distressed.
- Light your bonfire from a corner rather than the centre, to give hedgehogs the chance to escape if needed.
The charity says that anyone who does find a hedgehog in their bonfire should move it slowly and calmly, picking it up with gardening gloves along with any of its nesting material, and placing it in a cardboard box lined with newspaper. The box should then be relocated to a safe location far from any fires, or wait until the bonfire is open before releasing the hedgehog under a bush or log pile.
Geoff Dobbins of Northumberland Wildlife Trust said: " To a hedgehog looking for a place to sleep, an unlit bonfire is a ready-made bed. We are urging people to give inspecting their bonfires top priority before lighting them.
"It only takes a minute to do but can save hundreds of hedgehogs from an unnecessary death. Hedgehogs are great friends to gardeners as they are natural pest killers, so let’s do all we can to help them."
Have you ever found a hedgehog in your bonfire? Let us know!
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