A Haverhill woman is determined to stop people from wreaking havoc on the hedgerows to save the hedgehogs.
With hibernation in full swing, most of us cannot expect to see a hedgehog before the middle of March.
However, Claire Buckle from Haverhill is concerned that a chronic lack of understanding is causing people to unwittingly disturb the creatures, depriving them of their natural habitats and food sources in the process.
According to the RSPCA, hedgehogs are now considered vulnerable to extinction in Great Britain.
Factors contributing to this decline include the destruction of their habitats, increasing road traffic and the use of pesticides, which makes it increasingly harder for hedgehogs to find food.
Ms Buckle, 52, has been rescuing hedgehogs since the first lockdown.
Shortly before Christmas, she received a worried phone call from a couple in Chalkstone.
The couple had used a strimmer to cut back their four-foot hedge, and had destroyed the hibernating hedgehog’s habitat.
“My heart sunk when I got there, because there was just pile of prickles on the pavement,” said Ms Buckle.
“I feel very strongly about protecting the hedges, because people are cutting them back too much this time of year.
“The hedgerows are so important, because they rely on the insects they get from there – lice, slugs and caterpillars.
“With climate change, it’s a nightmare for them.”
Hedgehogs need to maintain a weight of 800g to survive. When it is time to hibernate, they will build a nest (or hibernaculum) from twigs and leaves, which will maintain a temperature of 4 to 6 degrees Celsius.
“Their whole body slows down, and when the weather warms, the body wakes up,” explained Ms Buckle. This ‘slowing down’ enables hedgehogs to conserve energy, and thus survive the winter months without food.
If the hedgehogs are disturbed, they will then have to use increased energy to survive.
Fortunately, Ms Buckle was able to save the hedgehog she rescued before Christmas. However, she strongly advises garden owners to check their hedges before cutting them back, or better still, wait until later in the year before doing so.
She estimates that she has rescued around 25 hedgehogs in total. She was delighted to complete her first breeding program in 2022, and now has a family of around nine hedgehogs hibernating in her garden.
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