Help Our Hedgehogs!

Hedgehogs travel up to one mile each night looking for food and to find mates. Friends of Ancells Farm and Friends of Oakley Park have joined forces to encourage a hedgehog street around Fleet to try to improve the lives of our local hedgehogs.

Joining in is simple…

Create small gaps at the base your garden fence or hedge (ask your neighbours first!).  They need to be about 15cm in height and width.  If people across Fleet all do this, then it will create a network of routes for hedgehogs to roam and will hopefully keep them safe from the roads.

This exciting plan is in response to a campaign created by two wildlife charities who have joined forces to research the reasons why hedgehog numbers are declining in the UK. Further details of this campaign can be found at www.hedgehogstreet.org.

Although hedgehogs are common and widespread, evidence of a drastic decline is mounting. Surveys show that populatons have dropped by alost 50% over the last 25 years and the indication is that this decline is still continuing in England and Wales.

If nothing is done to reverse the trend, then this mammal could be extinct from some areas by 2050. This worrying level of decline has led to the hedgehog becoming a UK Priority Species and conservation measures are being put in place.