The Western European hedgehog, the spiny nocturnal creature cherished by many in gardens, is facing a decline as its diminishing habitat pushes it closer to human environments, often resulting in fatal encounters with vehicles.
Today, the updated Red List of Threatened Species was released at the UN’s COP16 biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia, reflecting a change in the hedgehog’s status from “least concern” to “near threatened.”
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the next classification on the list is “vulnerable,” followed by “endangered.”
Expert Sophie Rasmussen disclosed to AFP that the European hedgehog is perilously close to being categorized as “vulnerable,” predicting it will likely transition to that status during the next assessment.
Ms. Rasmussen, a researcher with the University of Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, indicated that in regions such as Britain, Sweden, and Norway, an estimated population decline of 35% to 40% has occurred over the past decade.
In the Netherlands, the hedgehog is already classified as endangered.
The primary threat to hedgehogs comes from vehicles, which they increasingly encounter as their natural habitats are encroached upon by human development.
“Humans are the worst enemies of hedgehogs,” remarked Ms. Rasmussen.
To protect itself from predators such as badgers, foxes, and owls during nighttime, the hedgehog employs a strategy of remaining completely still while assessing the danger.
If a threat approaches, it scampers as far as it can; but if time is of the essence, it balls up, shielded by as many as 8,000 sharp spines.
“This strategy does not work well in front of a car,” Ms. Rasmussen, who refers to herself as Dr. Hedgehog, noted in a video interview from Lejre, Denmark.
Additional dangers include pesticides utilized by farmers and gardeners, coupled with a decline in the insect population that forms a significant part of the hedgehog’s diet.
Typically, hedgehogs have a lifespan of about two years, although some have been recorded living up to nine or twelve years.
They generally begin breeding around twelve months of age, typically giving birth to three to five hoglets at once.
“This means many hedgehogs may only breed once, or even twice if fortunate, on average before they pass away,” observed Ms. Rasmussen, just sufficient to maintain the population at a certain level.
However, this may soon become inadequate.
Ms. Rasmussen, whose research contributed to the Red List update, emphasized that the battle to conserve hedgehogs “will actually take place in people’s gardens,” as forests and other natural areas are systematically destroyed.
She recommends the creation of “hedgehog highways”—essentially a hole the size of a CD in garden fences, allowing hedgehogs to access shelter away from roads, alongside providing bowls of water and materials for nesting like garden waste.
“The best action you can take is to let your garden grow wild to attract essential natural food sources for hedgehogs, such as insects, worms, snails, and slugs,” suggested Ms. Rasmussen.
She acknowledges, “It’s not as if the world will end tomorrow without hedgehogs.”
However, she posed a critical question: “For a species that is so beloved, can we truly accept our role in its potential extinction?”
“And if we allow a species we genuinely care about to reach such a crisis point, what does that imply for the species we overlook?”
The newly updated Red List has assessed a total of 166,061 species of plants and animals, with 46,337—over a quarter—classified as threatened with extinction.
