Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus). Photo by Jörg Hempel.
This morning I was woken at 1.15 am by hedgehog cries, horribly familiar as two nights ago two hedgehogs were attacked by a badger up our lane. This time the badger was attacking a hedgehog in a neighbour’s garden. I was able to get right up to the badger before it ran off through the hedge into another garden. I rolled the poor hedgehog onto a shallow dish (plant pot saucer) and took it into our garden. As I was watching it, more hedgehog cries came from the garden into which the badger had ran. I climbed over the fence (not very dignified), and rescued another hedgehog from the badger and brought it into our garden and put it by the first one. I went back to bed cursing the badger. I think it’s a young one, from the size of it, and am pretty sure it’s attacking the hedgehogs because the ground is so dry and it can’t get at any worms. Chap slept through all the racket, amazingly.
Sad news this morning. Chap found one of the hedgehogs dead on the lawn. As hedgehogs are in serious decline, this is doubly sad. At least the weather forecast is for rain this evening and overnight, so I hope the badger will be able to get at some worms and leave the hedgehogs alone.
Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital website link.
Hedgehog (and other wild animals) rescue charity website link: St Tiggywinkles.