The Hedgehog Street team
Meet the team behind the Hedgehog Street campaign.
Grace Johnson, Hedgehog Officer for Hedgehog Street
I like hedgehogs because… They’re a brilliant engagement animal! Being so cute and easily recognisable, they get new people interested in wildlife and conservation. They’re like celebrities of the UK wildlife world, you’re very lucky to see one and even more so have them in your own back garden. It’s so sad to see that numbers are dwindling due to various threats, so I’m keen to do all I can to help our little prickly friends!
A bit about me I’m passionate about conservation and so excited to get stuck into Hedgehog Street, a partnership project between the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS). It’s an honour to take over this project, which has been previously been expertly run by my predecessor Emily Wilson. I have a Zoology degree and have previously been working with bats, so understand the conservation needs of UK mammals. I’m also a keen traveller and have been lucky enough to see some incredible animals in their natural habitat, including orangutans, pygmy elephants and manta rays. An especially memorable experience was seeing a hedgehog strolling around the streets of Dubrovnik last summer!
Morag Boyd, Rural Hedgehog Officer
I like hedgehogs because… They intrigue me… nocturnal and secretive, there is so much we don’t know about them, and so much to find out! I see them occasionally where I live in Scotland, and whenever I do I feel privileged to spend a few moments just quietly watching, and hoping they don’t feel that they have to curl up into a ball. But what a wonderful protective behaviour!
A bit about me… I’ve spent my career working in nature conservation, starting out as a volunteer for TCV and then moving on to my dream job – being a countryside ranger. I’ve worked in some amazing jobs, looking after some very special habitats – a beech woodland in Gwent, the highest and most Westerly occurring in the Uk, shepherding for the Scottish Wildlife Trust using sheep to manage several incredibly beautiful wildflower meadows, and, most recently, as Community Engagement Officer for Scottish Badgers, where I ran the National Badger Survey, training more than 400 volunteers to track badgers in the wild and record the signs and setts they found. Having the opportunity now to specialise in hedgehog a is very exciting – as Rural Hedgehog Officer for the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS). it is wonderful to expand my knowledge and be given the opportunity to really make a difference to the struggling hedgehog population. I will do everything I can…
Fay Vass, BHPS CEO
I like hedgehogs because… Hedgehogs are special; you can interact with them perhaps more than other wild animal. To protect themselves they curl up in a ball rather than flee so if you wait patiently and keep quiet you are rewarded by being able to watch them snuffle round and amble off. Seeing a hedgehog in the wild is always a treat and I remember a hedgehog visiting the garden being one of my very first wildlife encounters as a child.
A bit about me I started working part time at the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) in 1999 and gradually took on more and more responsibility until I became Chief Executive. A large and important part of our current work, and therefore my job, is Hedgehog Street. We work closely with the PTES to try to help hedgehogs in practical ways and funding important research to help us better understand how we can further assist the species. As well as Hedgehog Street, the BHPS produces a wide range of information leaflets for the public, vets and schools, most of these are available on our website. I am alarmed at the current rate of decline of the hedgehog population. I sincerely hope that our work will help slow or halt that decline.
Nida Al-Fulaij, PTES CEO
I like hedgehogs because…. despite being a well-known and widespread species here in the UK, it’s still an incredible privilege to see them in the wild. I’ve stumbled across hedgehogs whilst out walking in my local park in the evening and wandering through the church yard. I love knowing that they’re so close but also so secretive.
A bit about me I’ve been working in wildlife conservation for over two decades. My role involves helping wildlife here in the UK and protecting endangered species around the world. I’m continuously amazed by the varied species we share our home with; weird and wonderful creatures that inhabit all corners of our planet, many of which urgently need our help. Sadly, many of those species that need help are here in Britain, so lots of my energy is focussed on championing British mammals that are in decline. I know that, together with our partners and supporters, we can make a difference and help our threatened species. Working in partnership with fantastic organisations, such as BHPS, means we can increase and focus our efforts for greater impact.
Kori Malia, Hedgehog Intern for Hedgehog Street
I like hedgehogs because… beyond their undeniable cuteness, sniffly sounds, and familiarity, they are also one of the mammals that we can actually get pretty close to. I have had the great privilege of quietly watching a baby hedgehog sniffle for food right by my feet while on my evening meadow walk. That is a rare and special wildlife encounter I haven’t really had with any other mammal. Hedgehogs’ presence in urban areas across the country provides opportunities to encounter and fall in love with these magnificent animals and can inspire all generations of people to be excited about conservation more broadly.
A bit about me
A life-long animal lover, I’ve dreamt about working in wildlife conservation since childhood, so I am very excited to be part of the Hedgehog Street Team. I recently graduated with a degree in environmental science, focusing on freshwater invertebrate pollution studies. I am a keen explorer of natural habitats across the UK, learning more about the unique ecosystems and incredible species I encounter as I go.
Anina Day, Assistant Hedgehog Officer
I like hedgehogs because… They are weird, quirky, determined little creatures with a fabulous attitude! I have loved them ever since I can remember, and when I was young a rescue hog was released into our garden. Sniffy, as she was called, was absolutely crazy, and cemented my love for all things hedgehog.
A bit about me I have recently completed a degree in biology and a masters in conservation at Sussex University. Whilst there I set up the Sussex Hedgehog Friendly Campus campaign, though, sadly, we didn’t find a single hedgehog on campus. It has always been my dream to work in conservation, so being part of Hedgehog Street is an absolute privilege.
