The secret lives of hedgehogs has been revealed – proving the spiny creatures more hardy than one may have thought.
A study by the University of Brighton involving a movement tracking device found a 70% survival rate for rehabilitated hedgehogs released into the wild over winter.
In October last year, the university and the RSPCA joined forces to find out how and where hedgehogs live in winter and survival rates.
Dr Dawn Scott, head of biology and biomedical sciences at Brighton University, conducted the research with Christina Kimbrough to discover what hedgehogs get up to in the winter months.
According to the Peoples Trust for Endangered Species and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society hedgehog numbers in the 1950s were estimated around 30 million but the latest survey puts today's population at just over one million.
The researchers wanted to find out whether it was better to release hedgehogs back into the wild after rehabilitation, or keep them in captivity for the winter.
They released 12 ‘rehabilitated’ hedgehogs around the Brighton area during winter. All hedgehogs had a health check and were around 600g prior to release.
The hedgehogs back in October last year
The hedgehogs also had a VHF receiver so their movements could be radiotracked.
The university recovered nine out of the 12 hedgehogs that they released with tags. Two hedgehogs could not be found, and one died – meaning a survival rate of at least 70%.
On average the hedgehogs lost around 200g in weight over the winter months, the result of hibernation.
The researchers recorded the hedgehogs travelled roughly over 1.5km from their release site.
Hibernation sites included brambles, tree stumps, dense ivy, rabbit holes, thick dense grass, in an allotment and in compost bin at a golf club.
Dr Scott said: “It was fantastic to find the hedgehogs again in the spring and find out that they had managed to survive the winter.
“The findings are encouraging; so far they show that hedgehogs can do just as well returned to the wild as kept in captivity over winter.”
In order to gain some more information, the University of Brighton are planning to repeat the study this year.
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