The population of hedgehogs in Western Europe is in decline, driven from their habitats by urban sprawl and mowed down by cars on the roads, and they are now classified as "near threatened" of extinction.
In the updated Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), published on Monday in Cali during COP 16, the Erinaceus europaeus was moved from the category of "least concern" to "near threatened" of extinction.
Its population has declined in more than half of the countries where it is recorded, mainly in the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria.
The hedgehog "is very close to being 'vulnerable' and is likely to fall into this category the next time we assess it", Sophie Rasmussen, a researcher at the wildlife conservation unit at the University of Oxford, warned to Agence France-Presse (AFP), adding that "humans are the hedgehog's worst enemies".
To protect itself from natural predators such as badgers, foxes or owls, the hedgehog curls up into a ball, using the 8,000 spikes on its back as a repellent.
But "in front of a car, it's not a very good strategy", Rasmussen pointed out.
Other threats to the species are pesticides used by the agricultural industry, but also in private gardens, and the decline of insects that make up a large part of its diet.
Hedgehogs normally live for two years, although some cases of nine or twelve years have been documented.
They can reproduce from the end of the first year, with litters of three to five young.
"This means that many hedgehogs only reproduce once, or even twice if they are lucky, before they die", or just enough "to maintain the population level", the expert indicated.
Rasmussen, whose research was included in the UNIC Red List update, urges everyone to take action because, she says, the survival of hedgehogs “will be thrown into the gardens of homes”.
The researcher urged homeowners to build “hedgehog highways”, that is, a hole in the outer fence to allow passage at night, and to leave a small reserve of water and food waste along the way.
“The best thing you can do is to let your garden grow wild to attract everything a hedgehog needs to eat: insects, worms, snails and slugs,” Rasmussen stressed.
“It’s not like the world will collapse tomorrow if hedgehogs disappear”, but “can we really accept the fact that we are causing their extinction?” she asked.
