Alumni Sustainability Newsletter

Inside the University's mission to make campus hedgehog friendly

In 2022, the University was awarded the prestigious platinum award for being a ‘Hedgehog Friendly Campus’. As hedgehog numbers dwindle around the UK, what exactly is it that makes our campus a hedgehog haven? We spoke to the University’s Grounds and Ecology Manager Gordon Eastham to find out.

Can you tell us a bit about why hedgehogs are at risk in the UK?

“Numbers of hedgehogs in the UK have dropped dramatically over the course of this century. Especially in rural areas because of how farming practices have changed, meaning their habitats have been lost. Pesticides used in large-scale farming also kill the hedgehog’s food, like slugs and insects.

In urban environments, lots of hedgehogs get tangled or trapped in litter left by people, which can kill or injure them. Slug pellets used in people’s gardens, along with lawn mowers and strimmers, are another huge cause of injury.

Unlike most animals, hedgehogs don’t run away if they sense danger. They tend to curl up in a ball where they rely on their spines for protection. While this might work against predators, it also makes them easy to get run over.”

So what is the University doing to make its campus a safe space for hedgehogs?

“Students and staff have done a lot of work in raising awareness about the different problems that hedgehogs face, as well as doing practical activities like litter picking.

Another one of the practical things we do is habitat creation, which provides hedgehogs with places to shelter and find food. We make hedgehog boxes out of wood that we rescue from the woods here.

We also have several feeding stations around campus which provide them with essential food and water, as hedgehogs get very easily dehydrated.

Hedgehogs can swim, but they can’t get out very easily. Sometimes they’ll go to have a drink of water from the lake, but then fall in. So we’ve set up little causeways around the campus lakes where they can enter and exit freely.

If we do find an injured hedgehog, we’ll take them to a local rescue like Urchins on the outskirts of York. We’ve got a really good relationship with them and will often release rehabilitated hedgehogs back onto campus.”

How can our readers make their own garden hedgehog friendly?

“If you want to make your garden hedgehog friendly, the first thing you've got to do is make your garden accessible to hedgehogs.  At night, hedgehogs can travel kilometres going from garden to garden in search of food. If you have fences around your garden, try speaking to your neighbours and suggest that you’d like to make your garden more accessible by creating a small hole in the bottom of the fence.

For those with ponds that have steep sides too, why not try adding a slope so that a hedgehog can get out again if it falls in.

Unfortunately, slug pellets are toxic to hedgehogs, so try to avoid using them. Even if they don’t eat the pellets directly, they can get second hand poisoning from eating a slug which has ingested the pellets.

If you would like to feed a hedgehog, don’t go for milk or bread. It’ll harm their stomachs! The best choice of food is dried dog or cat biscuits. Hedgehogs eat lots of worms and beetles, so creating log piles and leaf brushes will also provide them with much needed dinner and shelter.”

Finally, do you have any advice on what to do if you find an injured hedgehog?

“Hedgehogs are nocturnal. So if you see a hedgehog during the day, there’s a good chance that it could be injured or distressed (unless it’s pregnant). If it looks a bit wobbly, listless, or it’s curled up in a ball during daytime, what you really need to do is take it to a hedgehog rescue or vet.

“It’s thanks to the hard work of these rescues that our urban populations of hedgehogs are beginning to stabilise.”