24.12.14
Milder winter could be to blame for large number of hedgehogs admitted to our West Hatch Wildlife Centre.
There are plenty more mouths to feed at our wildlife centre in Somerset, Taunton. Staff have been kept busy by the large number of hogs being brought through the doors.
50 per cent increase in hedgehog admittance’s
Last month 40 hogs were admitted to the centre – compared to 27 in 2013 – almost a 50 per cent increase in numbers.
Manager at the centre Neil Thomas said:
“There doesn’t seem to be a particular rhyme or reason as to why we are seeing quite so many hedgehogs being admitted – but there certainly are a lot of them at the moment.
“This time of year does normally mean the number of hogs we get in is up, but this year there has been a lot more than usual. The large number of admissions could be down to a number of reasons.
“It might be because of the milder weather we have been experiencing at this time of year. Which means they are being discovered by members of the public more regularly than they would be normally.
“We currently have 60 hedgehogs in our care. They are coming from across the region and are at different stages of development. Some are still very young and being syringe fed while others are more juvenile and do not need quite as much intensive care with feeding.”
More about hedgehogs
Hedgehogs usually hibernate between November and mid March and animals must have enough fat reserves to survive hibernation. Find out how you can help hedgehogs in your garden.
Find out what to do with an injured or sick hedgehog or an orphaned young hedgehog.
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