Thugs kicking hedgehogs not the only danger to life
By Claire Christensen
OUTRAGE is scorching the community after two hedgehogs were found kicked to death by thugs in Neilstown last week, but sadly, hedgehogs face many more dangers, quite a few of them unintentional.
Hedgehog Rescue Dublin, a volunteer organisation founded by zoologist Yvonne McCann, reported on the cruelty, asking for anyone with information to contact gardai as a violation of the Animal Health and Welfare Act.
The rescue centre has been inundated with work this summer and is full to capacity for the first time in the four years they have been in operation.
Ms McCann said: “We have a lot of hedgehogs coming into us that have been kicked around, it’s unfortunately quite normal.
“Especially when people are drunk on the way home from the pub, they just kick them around like little footballs.”
Hedgehogs are often injured or killed by human actions unintentionally as well, and Ms McCann said: “We take the injured in for assessment, then send them on to a vet for a check-up.
“They come back to us for rehab, and if they’re fit for release, we send them back out into the wild.”
Since hedgehogs are a protected species in Ireland, it is illegal to keep them as pets, but in some cases, the rescue centre will place disabled hedgehogs in an enclosed garden that has been approved by an ecologist.
During breeding season, which is April through July, male hedgehogs increase their range in order to mate, and so road deaths peak during this time – the majority of hedgehogs killed by vehicles are male and less than one year old.
The trimming of hedges, strictly regulated but not well enforced, can damage the hedgehog’s habitat, as well as the habitat of the bees and butterflies that rely on the hedges.
Dogs also pose a major threat to hedgehogs, as they often attack nests or kill the mothers when they are out foraging.
Every litter of young hedgehogs, called ‘hoglets’, taken in this year by the centre has been because of a dog attack.
Other dangers include pesticides and uncovered drains, and the rescue centre works tirelessly to promote awareness of these dangers.
Hedgehog Rescue Dublin advises anyone who accidentally disturbs a hedgehog’s nest to cover it up and leave it be; even if the mother is not visible, she will be back.
