TWO wildlife charities are joining forces to encourage people in Dorset to connect their gardens and help hedgehogs.
The People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) have published a report revealing that the creatures have declined in rural areas by a half since 2000.
They have also declined by a third in urban areas.
Hedgehog officer Henry Johnson said: “Hedgehogs are important because their presence indicates a healthy environment. To see a generalist animal like this decline is very ominous because they are in many ways so tolerant of human activity.
“On the flip side, it's encouraging to know that whatever we do to help hedgehogs will also benefit other wildlife.”
The two wildlife charities are appealing for more volunteers to join Hedgehog Street, which encourages people to connect their gardens and other green spaces to improve hedgehogs’ access to food, shelter and mates. Since its launch in 2011, Hedgehog Street has inspired over 36,000 volunteers to create hedgehog-friendly neighbourhoods, by linking up their gardens and green spaces.
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