European hedgehog listed as 'near threatened'

Image source, Gaia Wilson

Image caption, The status of the European hedgehog has been updated on the IUCN Red List to "Near Threatened"

West European Hedgehogs that were once a common sight across Europe are declining in population.

And now The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has updated their status on its Red List to "Near Threatened".

The IUCN Red List is a catalogue that keeps track of the global conservation status of animals, fungi and plant species.

The conservation status shows whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future.

Image source, Ben Andrew

Image caption, Without changes and with further declines Hedgehogs could become endangered

A "near threatened" status on the IUCN red list means the species "is close to qualifying for, or is likely to qualify for, a threatened category in the near future".

Which means without changes and with further declines hedgehogs could become endangered.

鈥淭his decline will likely come as no surprise to the average person. When hedgehogs come up in conversation, it鈥檚 not long before someone says that they just don鈥檛 see them anymore.

The hope is that as hedgehogs become more and more like a distant memory from our childhoods, we will respond with action that will bring these memories back to life,鈥 said Hope Nothhelfer, Communications Officer at the Mammal Society.

Read more about how to help our spiky friends here:
Hedgehog Awareness Week: How to help our spiky friends

Image source, Alick Simmons

Image caption, Hedgehogs can be an indicator species of a healthy environment

Did you know?

  • The hedgehog is Britain's only spiny mammal.
  • They are found in mainland Britain and Ireland and have been introduced to Orkney, Shetland, the Isle of Man, and some of the Channel Islands.
  • Hedgehogs can be an indicator species of a healthy environment. A decline in hedgehogs indicates a decline in the health of the ecosystem as a whole.
  • The biggest threat to hedgehogs is thought to be habitat loss.

How can you help?

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Have you spotted any hedgehogs in your garden?

Without action the European Hedgehog population will continue to fall.

So the Mammal Society is asking the public to help.

鈥淓veryone can take simple steps to make an impact in reversing the steep decline in hedgehog numbers, such as providing a shallow dish of water, creating a hedgehog highway, and checking for nests before strimming" says Dylan Allman, a Youth Ambassador at the Mammal Society and Hedgehog Champion at Hedgehog Aware.

The public can also help with hedgehog monitoring effort by recording any sightings of them.

They say this can be done though the "Mammal Mapper app, and by joining forces with other nature champions through a local mammal groups".

Read more here: