3 hours agoShareSaveHelen Briggs,Environment correspondentandGwyndaf Hughes,Science videographerShareSaveBritish gardens matter more than ever for hedgehogs, according to a study of the secret night life of the spiny mammals.Scientists gave householders wildlife cameras to spy on hedgehogs in more than 400 gardens in Chester in one of the largest studies of its kind.The animals turned up in more than half of gardens studied, with food a powerful attraction.As numbers fall, scientists say these night-time visits could hold vital clues to the nocturnal mammal’s survival.Chester Zoo/Nottingham Trent UniversityConservation biologist, Dr Rebecca Thomas, of Royal Holloway, University of London, who is not connected with the study, said gardens are increasingly becoming important habitats for hedgehogs as numbers fall in the countryside.”The best thing people can do for hedgehogs in gardens is to create wild spaces for them – areas where they can over-winter, mate, live happily, and hopefully we can keep the populations going in these suburban environments,” she said.And if you do choose to feed hedgehogs use appropriate food, such as cat biscuits, and practice good hygiene, she said.”In the wild hedgehogs wouldn’t come together too much… and obviously hedgehogs don’t need anything else affecting their populations through the spread of disease.” The research is published in the journal Urban Ecosystems. …
