Help the Hedgehogs this Bonfire Night!

Guy Fawkes, Halloween, mulled wine, Christmas, the X Factor’s live shows…there’s a lot to love about the winter months. Come Bonfire Night we’ll be wrapping up warm and watching firework spectacles across the country, twirling sparklers and cheering at the bright lights and explosions above.

However, there’s one little creature who definitely doesn’t share our excitement about 5th November, and that’s our nations hedgehogs.  Mrs Tiggywinkle, Sonic and co are beginning to snuffle around for places to hibernate, and to these spiky little creature, an unlit bonfire is the Ritz of hibernating places!

So how can we protect sleepy hedgehogs while still enjoying our toffee apples and Guy Fawkes celebrations?

The Northumberland Wildlife Trust have come up with some great tips to help you along the way, and is asking the public to look out for hiding hedgehogs before they light their fires this Bonfire Night.

The nature gurus are advising people to help protect hedgehogs by following a few guidelines when building a bonfire:

• Build the bonfire as close to the night as possible so there is less chance of a hedgehog moving in
• Make the pile of material next to the bonfire site and re-build the stack before lighting it
• Search the bonfire for hibernating creatures using a torch and rake before starting the fire
• Move any hedgehogs found to a ready-made hedgehog box somewhere dry and safe and away from the fire
• Before Bonfire Night, make an alternative home by raking up grass cuttings or autumn leaves into a pile a safe distance from the pile. Hopefully sleepy ‘hogs will choose to sleep there instead of in the unlit bonfire.

Steve Lowe, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Head of Conservation said: “To a hedgehog looking for a place to sleep, an unlit bonfire is a readymade nest. We are asking people to give hedgehogs a helping hand by following our instructions and checking any bonfires before lighting them. It only takes a minute to do but can save hundreds of hedgehogs from an unnecessary death.”

He continued: “Hedgehogs are great friends to gardeners as a natural pest killer. However, numbers are in decline due to increased pesticide use and we need to do all we can to help them. Why not create a hedgehog haven in your garden? Hedgehogs need garden habitats that mimic woodland so try and provide a few twiggy places for hibernation – small piles of logs and leaves are ideal and don’t keep your garden too tidy – what an excuse not to do the gardening!”

This autumn, Northumberland Wildlife Trust is selling ready-made, luxury, hedgehog hibernation boxes at the reduced price of £10. For more details, contact Laura Lowther at the Trust on 0191 284 6884.

The wildlife charity has received over £140,000 financial support from the players of People’s Postcode Lottery to date.