Hedgehogs: MP Chris Grayling wants to save hedgehogs
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A group of MPs are asking for hedgehogs to get the same protection that bats and badgers do, to help increase their numbers.
The number of hedgehogs in the UK has halved since 2000, according to a report in 2018.
It is thought that the population of hedgehogs is at one million, compared with 30 million during the 1950s.
MP Chris Grayling thinks that the spiky creatures should be considered when developers are planning a project.
He has proposed an amendment which would add hedgehogs to the list of protected animals under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act gives protection to animals, plants and habitats in the UK. Currently animals such as bats and badgers are included in the act so it is against the law to harm a bat or their habitat. MPs want the same protection for hedgehogs.
This would mean developers looking to build would legally have to search for the animals and make sure they don't come to any harm when building.
Mr Grayling said: "It seems wrong to me, for example, that whenever a developer has to carry out a wildlife survey before starting work on a project that the hedgehog is not on anyone's radar."
"It is Britain's favourite animal, its numbers are declining and it should be as well protected as any other popular but threatened British animal."
Top tips for looking after a hedgehog
Why are hedgehogs in decline?
Experts say there are a lot of reasons.
Firstly, their habitat has shrunk as more buildings and houses are built, so hedgehogs can't wander as freely across the landscape as they used to.
Pesticides and herbicides in our gardens and on farmland, which are deadly to hedgehogs, have also had a big impact on the animals' survival.
Hedgehog numbers are also falling because many are killed on our increasingly busy roads.
Do you think hedgehogs should be protected? Let us know in the comments.
- Published2 December 2019
- Published16 April 2020
