25/01/2024
There is a post that has been going around for a few months that uses this picture of a European hedgehog and states that they get a bit tired looking for a nest in winter and can be found sleeping and hibernating in strange places like roadside streets or on pavements. They say that if you see a "stationary hedgehog", you should make a hole in a cardboard box and put it in a safe, dry, quiet place for the cold winter months.
This is absolute crap.
A healthy hedgehog would NEVER sleep or hibernate out in the open like this. The one pictured as an example of how they can be found 'sleeping' is, almost certainly, already dead. ANY hoggie seen laying out like this, has already died or is dying. If they are still alive, they need immediate rescue, not shoving in a box and kept somewhere for a few months.
They do not dig holes or burrow. They sometimes create a shallow dip in the ground to build a nest but it will always be at ground level or above ground and the hedgehog will be covered. Sheds, decking, wood piles and compost heaps are also good sleep and hibernation spots. They don't live in woodland so relocating to one is unacceptable.
They are edge creatures and prefer moving around, eating and sleeping in areas that are not out in the open and which provide adequate protection from the elements and predators. A hedgehog will spend considerable time building nests for birthing, sleep and hibernation. They will often build more than one and move between them as they need them for protection and survival. They have been doing this for 15 million years. They would never leave it so last minute trying to find somewhere safe, that they would just fall asleep or hibernate on the spot like this. If an area has so few suitable areas that they pass out from exhaustion just looking, then there just wouldn't be a hedgehog population at all.
I can't believe this continues to be shared by pages with engagement and reach of hundreds of thousands. They have an ethical and moral responsibility to fact check and not just regurgitate stuff they came across one time on social media. The latest post by a huge page has spread this misinformation and, despite being contacted by numerous hedgehog rescues and charities, have so far ignored all requests to amend or remove it. WHY? Because Facebook pays content creators based on engagement and shares and they will have made a shed load of money. That's all they care about, not saving hedgehog lives. Plus they are flogging a few books at the end of the post.
Please, if you see this post shared anywhere, copy and paste this post or post a link to it (tap the 3 dots top right of this post). I know I won't get anywhere near the engagement and reach of this one single post but even if it reaches just one of the people who have seen it and it saves 1 life, then that's something at least.
