Spare a thought for the prickly pest controller
Hedgehogs are a powerful form of pest control. A single animal can keep an average garden free of pests by eating up to 200 grams of insects each night. For that reason, it is common throughout Britain to see people luring hedgehogs into their gardens with treats and hedgehog-sized holes in their fences.
A problem, however, with employing hedgehogs for garden pest control is the use of chemical insecticide at the same time. While the hedgehog is immune to most poisons, it is not immune when ingesting insects full of them. This causes many hedgehog deaths.
Huge numbers are also killed by traffic. The Clare Heritage Office, in association with the Clare Biodiversity Group, has started a survey of live and dead hedgehogs in its area and is hoping the survey will help produce the country’s first ever audit of the tiny mammal.
The aim of the survey, co-funded by Clare County Council and the Heritage Council, is to assess population numbers and identify the threat posed by pesticides.
John Murphy, biodiversity officer with Clare County Council, is asking people to record any sightings of hedgehogs on a reference map on the Clare Biodiversity Group website www.clarebiodiversity.ie.
“These records will help us build a comprehensive map of where populations of the mammal are concentrated,” he pointed out.
Mr Murphy said they would use the survey results to raise awareness about the hedgehog and the many misconceptions that exist about it.
In areas where hedgehogs have been introduced, such as New Zealand and some of the Scottish islands, the animal itself has become a pest. In New Zealand, it causes immense damage to native species, including insects, snails and ground-nesting birds, particularly shore birds.
“Attempts to eliminate hedgehogs from bird colonies on the Scottish islands of North Uist and Berbecula in the Outer Hebrides have met with considerable opposition. Thankfully, we have no such problems with hedgehogs in Ireland,” he said
Mr Murphy warned, however, that increased use of pesticides was having a detrimental effect on native hedgehog population numbers.
“It is ironic that hedgehogs are being killed by pesticides when in fact they are the best pest control we have got. Pesticides such as slug pellets are known to kill hedgehogs, along with other species such as thrushes and frogs. Hopefully this survey can raise sufficient public awareness to instigate a shift in opinion and a reduction in the use of pesticides.”
No exact figures for hedgehogs killed on Irish roads are available, but they are high. Statistics show massive numbers are dying in this way in other countries. In Germany, the annual figure is reckoned to be around a million and, in Holland, 350,000.
Between 75% and 90% of hedgehogs killed on the roads are male. They are often in search of a mate when run over at night. Many can been seen on the roads at this time of year, reputed to be the mating season, running from June to August.
Though spiky creatures with a forbidding look, hedgehogs seem to have got a softer image in recent times. In 2006, McDonalds made the design of their McFlurry containers more hedgehog-friendly. Previously, hedgehogs would get their heads stuck in the cups as they tried to lick the remaining food from inside. Unable to get out, they would starve.
Hedgehogs are believed to have been around for 50 million years. Scientists say they have changed little over the last 15 million years. Like many of the first mammals they have become nocturnal insectivores.
A defence all species of hedgehogs to roll into a tight ball, causing all of the spines to point outwards.
The purchase of domesticated hedgehogs has seen a considerable increase in the last few years due to their innocent and playful look. But they are difficult to keep as pets due to their low resistance to climate and temperature changes and inability to adapt to enclosed environments.
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