To a human, a pile of autumnal twigs may look like a  bonfire waiting to be lit. To a hedgehog, it's a cosy nesting site.

Before you light your Guy Fawkes bonfire, please check the pile of material for napping or hibernating hedgehogs. Sort through the pile, then lift it and look underneath with a torch. Ideally, rebuild the fire on a different spot immediately before lighting.

Hedgehogs born in late summer are still quite small, so please look closely. The UK's hedgehog numbers are declining, but parts of west London are lucky enough to have a healthy hog population. Please keep it that way.

Putney resident 2009
Images copyright - M.J. Ixer

Alison Classe

November 2, 2009