Support our Hedgehogs!

From Jenny Bourne-Taylor (Plot 18, Grove Lodge Meadow) email: jenny@% change % to apaa.org.uk

I was delighted the other day when a hedgehog peeped into my shed and then happily wandered off. However three dead hedgehogs have been found around the allotments recently, and the creatures are in decline across the country as a whole, as the accompanying leaflet on the state of British hedgehogs makes clear. At Ally Pally Allotments we can do our best to support these lovely animals by taking the following measures:

• Allow piles of old branches and twigs to accumulate in a shady, quiet part of your site, so that hedgehogs can make a home there
• Put out a shallow dish of water nearby that they can drink out of
• If you have a pond, make sure there is a plank or other support so they can climb out if they fall in. Hedgehogs are good swimmers but they sometimes get trapped in deep ponds
• We all hope hedgehogs will snack on slugs, but they do get hungry, and the British Hedgehog Protection Society recommends building a feeding station by putting a small plate of cat or dog food at the back of a box with a hole in it just big enough for the hedgehog to get in, weighed down so that larger animals can’t get in. Hmm, might also attract rats, though!

You can find out more about hedgehogs from the very informative 4-page A4 colour leaflet produced by the Hedgehog Preservation Trust called State of British Hedgehogs (opens in new window). Leaflets about hedgehogs and their care will also be available from the Top Shed at our monthly Cafe openings (see Cafe or Calendar).