New survey: Hedgehog Housing census launches today!
15th August 2017
Today, the first ever national Hedgehog Housing Census has been launched by Hedgehog Street, a nationwide campaign set up by wildlife charities the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), to help combat the ongoing decline in native hedgehog population numbers. This survey is in partnership with the University of Reading and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.
Between now and the 31st October 2017, the Hedgehog Housing Census will dig a little deeper into the world of hedgehogs, and aims to answer several questions about how they live and in particular, hedgehog houses, which, until now, have not been previously studied, despite thousands of people having one in their garden. The information will be gathered via an online survey, and the data then analysed by scientists at the University of Reading. It is hoped the results will help the Hedgehog Street team find out what the best type of hedgehog house is and how they can be used to support the conservation of these animals, and enable wildlife enthusiasts across the UK to further help their spikey garden residents.
Emily Wilson, Hedgehog Officer for Hedgehog Street explains: “We know thousands of people across the UK have hedgehog houses in their gardens, but what we don’t know is whether they actually benefit hedgehogs. While there is advice available about how best to use a hedgehog house, no one has conducted this type of research before, to ensure this advice is correct. Through the Hedgehog Housing Census we will investigate the nation’s hedgehog houses, to find out what works best for hedgehogs, which in turn will help our ongoing conservation work.”
To take the survey visit here: https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/housingcensus/
