RSPCA gears up for busy hedgehog season in the East
It received over six thousand calls about hedgehogs nationally last year.
The RSPCA says its bracing itself for a hectic hedgehog season after attending over 460 incidents in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire last year.
The charity says July and August are its busiest months, with almost two thousand calls taken by its helpline nationally.
A total of 6,200 calls were taken by the helpline about sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs in 2020.
In Norfolk the charity responded to 234 incidents last year, that was 148 in Cambridgeshire and 84 in Suffolk.
The RSPCA’s Scientific Officer Evie Button said: “July and August are our busiest months for hedgehogs. Not only do calls about hedgehogs peak, but so do admissions to our four wildlife centres as members of the public and our own officers bring in orphaned, sick or injured animals for treatment and rehabilitation.
“We receive more calls about hedgehogs than about almost any other wild mammal. With a total of 6,200 calls taken last year, averaged out, we get about 17 calls a day relating to these iconic and beautiful animals.”
The top reason for people calling the animal charity was to report a sick or injured animal, other reasons included finding an orphaned newborn or juvenile, or an animal that was trapped or entangled.
Evie continued: “Because we get so many calls about injured or trapped animals we have some useful tips to help keep hedgehogs safe in the garden. Please remember to remove sports and fruit netting, cover drains and holes, check before using a strimmer or mower, look in compost heaps before forking over and avoid using slug pellets as these are poisonous to hedgehogs.
“We also receive calls from concerned members of the public who have seen a baby hedgehog - a hoglet - on its own. Our advice is firstly to check whether they actually need rescuing, by watching from a distance.
“Generally, it's best to leave them alone as they’ll likely be looking for food, but there are a few things you can do to check if the hoglet does need help. If they’re larger than apple-sized (about 300g) and they’re not in immediate danger, sick or injured, monitor from a distance.
"If you're concerned, you can try offering food and fresh water. The best type of food to give hedgehogs is cat or dog food, whether that’s tinned or crushed biscuits - or you can buy good quality specialist hedgehog foods from wildlife food suppliers.
“During the summer months, only intervene straight away if you find a baby hedgehog in immediate danger (such as on a road), a baby hedgehog that weighs less than 300g (about apple-sized) without an adult hedgehog nearby, or if the baby is sick, injured or surrounded by flies.”
To report concerns about an animal contact the RSPCA’s Hotline on 0300 1234 999.