YOUNG pupils were taught the perils that British hedgehogs face this week when a clutch of the spiky creatures visited Lewes Old Grammar Junior School.
With just a million hedgehogs left in Britain and numbers down 50% since 2000, little ones are being taught ways in which we can halt their decline.
Children were delighted to meet three little hoglets Hugo, Harry and Harvey who were accompanied by Graham Bowring who runs a small hedgehog rescue centre in Petworth. They learnt about how humans can make small differences in their actions, such as changing pesticides and not littering, which can make a huge difference to hog welfare.
LOGS Junior teacher Ruth Beresford: “Younger children have considered the diet and habitat of the hedgehogs and what sort of treats might tempt these enchanting creatures. Older children have studied the effect of introducing poisons such as slug pellets into the food web of the hedgehog, seeing how we can change small actions in order to make a big effect in the local ecosystems.
“The hedgehogs have been real favourites with the children, sparking an interest in nature and conservation whilst encouraging their love of learning.”
Children also donated tins of pet food to feed the rescued animals in Petworth throughout the winter. Three hedgehogs will eat one tin of pet food between them each day, so the charity needs a large stock to keep them content. Mr Bowring houses up to 40 hedgehogs at a time.
Year 6 pupil Arthur Waters added: “It was so much fun and so interesting! Did you know that an average hedgehog has 5,000 spines and cannot eat fish?”
Mr Bowring will care for the hedgehogs at their rescue home for the winter but will release them in the spring when they will be able to fend for themselves.
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