Mrs Tiggy Winkle
Mrs Tiggy Winkle
Mrs Tiggy Winkle will be a familiar name to most of you but Beatrix Potter’s character is just one appearance of a hedgehog in literature. Shakespeare often referred to them although mostly less than flatteringly; and you can find them turning up worldwide in stories, even as far afield as Mongolia. But what if the only hedgehogs the children knew were from books and poems – the live animals having become extinct?
Hedgehogs have been around for 15 million years, far longer than modern humans and are one of the oldest species of mammal on the planet. But they are in decline and are classed as vulnerable with around 50% lost in the countryside since 2000 alone. But the news is a bit better in our towns and cities where they have ‘only’ dropped by 30%. They are regularly seen in some Wenvoe gardens and there are many things you can do to help them survive and prosper such as:
Create access holes in your fences so they can move from garden to garden. These are known as hedgehog highways.
Hedgehogs can swim but can get stuck in steep-sided ponds. Ensure your pond has a shallow side or place a log or plank in it that they can use as a ladder.
Avoid using slug pellets or other chemicals.
Many are injured by strimmers, so check the area first and move them if you find any.
Check bonfires before you light them for the same reason.
Make or buy a hedgehog house which can be used for hibernating in winter or shelter in summer.
Give supplementary food such as cat or dog food especially before or after hibernating. Also provide water but never put out bread or milk.
Create a wild section in your garden including piles of leaves which will also benefit other wildlife.
Get all the family involved and register with PTES (Peoples Trust for Endangered Species) as a Hedgehog Champion.
Help to ensure that Mrs Tiggy Winkle is not, like the Dodo, just a distant memory.