'Hedgehog Friendly' Warwick University reminds us to look out for hedgehogs this bonfire night with four top tips
Having recently been awarded the Bronze Hedgehog Friendly Campus Award after the work of staff and students in 2021, Warwick University now looks to the future in the hope to receive silver for this year's efforts.
Warwick is now seeking more volunteers, as well as hedgehogs, to get involved in litter picks, develop fundraising initiatives, and support the campaign at events.
There is an increasing number of staff and students who get involved in litter-picking events on campus, including during the Big Hog Friendly Litter Pick Challenge.
Katherine Mayfield, a Sustainability Champion at Warwick offered the following tips for how to avoid harming hedgehogs on bonfire night:
Build bonfires on the day of lighting - as hedgehogs are nocturnal animals, building the bonfire in the morning of the day you are lighting it, will decrease the chances of hedgehogs crawling underneath it
Place a barrier at the bottom of bonfires - chicken wire, old tyres, bricks etc can all be used to make a wall around the bottom of bonfires to stop hedgehogs being able to climb underneath them. Hedgehogs are good climbers - make sure barriers are at least one metre tall, and, if using wire, place at an outward angle to make it harder to climb.
Move bonfires before lighting - if possible, relocating the bonfire, even by a few metres can help to see if there are hedgehogs hiding underneath. It's important to dismantle piles of logs before constructing a bonfire too. Bonfires should be located a safe distance away from pampas grass, fern etc. or any areas of a habitat that could easily catch fire and cause harm to animals sheltering in these areas.
Check bonfires before lighting - hedgehogs tend to sleep in the bottom two feet of bonfires. Use a broom handle to gently lift up the bottom of bonfires section by section, all the way to the centre of the bonfire, and shine a torch inside to look out for hedgehogs. Listen carefully for movement, or a hissing sound - which is the noise they make when disturbed.
Katherine said: "The University is committed to protecting, creating, and enhancing spaces for wildlife on campus. Hedgehogs have declined in the UK by 50% since the year 2000 and are vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss, development, roads, litter, and garden hazards. We are therefore playing our part on their journey to recovery."
"We have installed hedgehog houses and bug hotels, and log piles are often left by the Grounds and Gardens Team to provide habitat for a whole host of wildlife. In addition, we are raising awareness to our community about how we can all make a difference such as checking bonfires for hedgehogs, providing feeding stations, and opening hedgehog highways in our local community."
If you see a hedgehog on campus or elsewhere you can log it on the Big Hedgehog Map.
Find out how you can help hedgehogs to survive and strive in your area with tips to make your garden hedgehog-friendly.
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