STRIMMERS, extreme weather, disappearing habitats and fears about rats are all driving a rise in hedgehog deaths and injuries, a Jersey charity has warned.
Over the last two weekends, the Jersey Hedgehog Preservation Group said it had taken in 12 hoglets – baby hedgehogs – to its care centre in St Lawrence, along with several adults suffering from severe and often fatal injuries.
Dru Burdon, from the charity, said: “We always get wounds caused by cutting equipment around branchage time in two waves, June/July and then August/September.
“We ask that people check the area before they start cutting, but either they do not have the time, or the hedgehogs are so well hidden that they are missed and get injured or killed.”
The warnings come just two months after Hedgehog Awareness Week (4–10 May), which aims to raise awareness of the animals’ habits and promote simple steps the public can take to protect them.
Alongside machinery, the weather is making conditions harder for hedgehogs by limiting access to food and water.
Ms Burdon said that a cold winter, followed by a very dry spring and summer, had made it more difficult for hedgehogs to dig for worms and beetles because the ground was too hard.
“We ask people to put out bowls of water on the ground in their gardens and to provide cat or dog food for them,” she said.
But she said concerns about attracting rats were putting some Islanders off.
“The recent increase in the Island’s rat population and the publicity it has received has made people reluctant to put out food for hedgehogs for fear of feeding rats too, so the hedgehogs are suffering,” she said.
Earlier this week, Queen’s Valley Reservoir reopened after being closed since April to deal with a rat infestation.
The utility company responsible for the site said the issue was being made “more challenging” by members of the public “persistently feeding the wildlife”.
Pest controllers have also reported a rise in rat activity across the Island.
Nick Alderson from Pestokill said: “The rat issue throughout the whole of the Island has increased.”
The pest controller said that in the past, he could count rat-related callouts “on one hand”, but recently he had “lost count”.
The charity’s latest figures show the situation gets worse in line with the start of the strimming season.
In April, 17 hedgehogs were admitted, with eight dying and nine released.
In May, there were 28 admissions, 19 deaths and seven releases.
In June, 36 were brought in – 21 died and just 16 were released.
Between October 2024 and June 2025, the group admitted 274 hedgehogs, of which 157 died and 131 were released.
Habitat loss is also part of the problem, with Ms Burdon saying that modern housing developments with enclosed gardens have made it harder for hedgehogs to move between spaces.
“In Jersey, many modern developments have enclosed gardens which prevent hedgehogs from moving from one garden to another,” she said.
“We ask that people make hedgehog highways by cutting a 13 cm hole in their fences, walls or gates to link with their neighbour’s gardens.”
How Islanders can help hedgehogs
- Check before cutting: Always check for hedgehogs before using strimmers, mowers or other garden equipment.
- Create hedgehog highways: Cut a 13 cm hole at the base of fences, gates or walls to let hedgehogs move between gardens.
- Provide food and water: Put out shallow bowls of water and meaty cat or dog food at ground level.
- Be mindful of bonfires: Hedgehogs may be nesting inside – check before lighting.
- Support the charity: Donate, volunteer or report injured hedgehogs via www.jerseyhedgehogs.co.uk.
