Many of you will have noticed I haven't been online so much recently and this is why:
I have been extremely busy with injured hedgehogs and seem to be almost living at the vet surgery, who sees me almost more than my wife does
We have been printing & distributing these leaflets around our local area and have asked the local Councils to print them in their newsletters & magazines and have sent to all local newspapers
It really is heartbreaking to see some of the injuries caused by our lack of care
Most of them have been absolutely on their last legs before I got hold of them and either died before or on arrival at the vets or were put down to save any more suffering.
A hedgehog cannot survive with both back legs chopped off or the jaw so shattered & chopped that it will never eat again
2 went through quite major operations to attempt to repair at least some of the damage but didn't survive such major surgery while, they were so weak
Much of it was worse as
5 were found in my or my neighbour's back garden and were ones I had recently released that I had reared over the winter
They must have wandered away a bit and dragged themselves back to where they knew they were safe but it took them a few days and the badly infected wounds were just too much
I found one right outside the backdoor when I got up on Easter Monday dead with one back leg missing completely and the other one so badly infected & shattered. How it had found the strength to crawl back that far I really don't know
I almost felt like giving up but am persevering and am in the middle of treating others found this week from other places, luckily no strimmers so far this week, just dehydration and lack of food so far but it is only Tuesday and I am dreading the Bank Holiday weekend coming up with all the idiots out causing mayhem with their power tools
Please spread the word to other forums and your local press about the dangers of strimmers, lawn mowers, hedgetrimmers etc
Hedgehogs injured by strimmers
There are very few hedgehogs left in the wild now. They are dying out very quickly. We have taken their natural habitat away from them and they need our help to survive
Please be very careful when using a strimmer, lawnmower or other machinery in your garden and check the long grass & undergrowth first with your hand or foot to make sure NOTHING is curled up there. Hedgehogs do not run away when they hear the noise, but curl up tightly which is no protection from these tools.
Since the fine weather started just before Easter (less than 1 month) we have dealt with more than
20 hedgehogs with very bad injuries caused by strimmers, lawnmowers and other garden power tools.
Despite intensive Veterinary treatment
NONE of them have survived their horrific injuries.
Hedgehogs are dying from lack of water. It is vital to put a bowl of water outside your front and back doors. Just this small act will help to save countless lives. You can find lots more information about how to help hedgehogs and make your garden safe for them on our Website:
www.thehedgehog.co.uk 
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