The Lancashire Wildlife Trust is urging homeowners to make their gardens “hedgehog-friendly” this winter in order to provide safe hibernation spots for the prickly critters, according to the Lancashire Telegraph.
In response to a significant decline in numbers over recent years, the trust’s spokesman Alan Wright is now urging local residents to put off tidying their gardens until spring so that hedgehogs can make use of messy areas such as leaf piles.
Mr Wright has attributed the falling hedgehog population to the removal of hedgerows in the countryside over the past few decades, and it is now thought the total population of hedgehogs in the UK is around 1.5 million, compared to 30 million thirty years ago.
Meanwhile, animal lovers across the country have been doing their bit for pets in need this Christmas, with the Scottish SPCA’s Angus, Fyfe and Tayside shelters remaining open throughout the holiday period in order to provide love and affection – as well as generous servings of pet food – to the 44 animals currently in their care.
