Football net risk to hedgehogs

Road kill is often cited as a reason for the deaths of large numbers of hedgehogs, but another hazard has emerged.

We’ve been getting reports of the prickly creatures becoming entangled in football nets left thrown on the ground in people’s lawns. The message is: If your children like to kick a ball at goalposts on the green sward, make sure the nets are hanging up all the time.

The large amount of hedge cover now around houses in urban and rural areas is offering a suitable habitat for this animal. Some years ago, habitat loss due to the intensification of agriculture was believed to be one of the leading causes of a decline in the hedgehog population. Like the fox, however, it can adapt well to urban life.

Research shows hedgehogs can live for up to ten 10 years in the wild, but the majority do not survive beyond their second year. A study into the age of hedgehogs killed on Irish roads found just over half were less than a year old.

Slow-moving, it has always been one of the animals most often killed by road traffic, though ecologist Paddy O’Sullivan says he has observed fewer dead hedgehogs on the roads in recent years.

Maybe it is adapting to changing conditions and keeping away from roads. It can take animals a long time to adjust to changes in their environment, but this could be happening in relation to the hedgehog

However, Mr O’Sullivan, a retired manager of Killarney National Park, says he’s surprised at the number of incidents he has come across of these spiky fellows getting caught in football nets.

This is a busy time for hedgehogs which are trying to put on weight prior to their winter hibernation. With a diet including slugs and earthworms, they can be useful around a garden. And they can also go a la carte, sometimes returning night after night to gobble up whatever scraps might be left in a dog’s food dish outside.

When they are in a garden they can drive dogs crazy. It took a while to discover why the family pet was getting so agitated and barking at all hours of the night, with no signs of an intruder. Eventually, it all became clear. A hedgehog hiding under bushes, all rolled up with its spikes protruding as a defence, was the cause of the commotion.

Long ago, we mistakenly called hedgehogs porcupines. There are no porcupines in Ireland, however. While similar, with both animals having prickly outer layers, we’re talking about two different species.

The porcupine is twice as big as the hedgehog, has longer quills and is more aggressive in sticking the quills into attackers. The hedgehog has a smaller angular face and smaller feet.