As hedgehogs slowly emerge from their winter shelters to enjoy the spring, many of us are committed to helping this endangered creature. However, for the hedgehog to thrive in your yard, it still needs access! Hence the valuable advice shared by the League for the Protection of Birds on Wednesday, March 30th (LPO). explanation.
To live his life, the hedgehog is like us: he has to move. To feed, to hunt, to meet people, to find a mate, to reproduce, he must be free to move, to go where his needs call him. However, modern gardens are what they are, a number of fences, gates and other fences prevent it from moving freely, limiting its ability to move and thereby reducing the conditions for its survival.
So to give him back his freedom and, more generally, to help him live, the LPO invites us to make very simple passages in our fences. A small hole is sufficient.
“Landland and fenced gardens prevent the European hedgehog
moving around, hunting, meeting a mate to breed… How do you create passageways in your enclosures to help the hedgehogs circulate? A passage of 13×13 cm is enough for any hedgehog to pass!”
the LPO
Why a 13cm by 13cm passage? Because it’s big enough for a hedgehog to pass through and small enough to prevent other larger animals from taking advantage of the breach (e.g. the neighbor’s big dog).
On her website, Mission Herisson gives some simple tips for making these passages:
- “If your fence is sturdy (block or wood), you can cut a brick or plank out of the bottom of the wall or just cut a small hole with a jigsaw (for picket fences). It is also possible to dig a passage under your walls or fences.”
- “If your fence is wire mesh, it’s easier. All you have to do is lift the bottom of the mesh slightly to create a passage. With the help of a tile, for example, you can properly design this passageway.”
A simple do-it-yourself shop, but one that does the hedgehogs a great service. FYI: know that a hedgehog can travel about 1 km every night to meet its needs. It would therefore be a shame to limit his adventure zone to the perimeter of your garden.
“Once the hedgehogs find the passage, they will use it daily.”
Does your garden have a fence? You know what you have left to do!