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Gardeners encouraged to help hedgehogs
The RSPCA has cared for more than 10,000 hedgehogs over the past five years.

Up to three quarters of the rural population has been lost.

The RSPCA is appealing to gardeners to do more to help hedgehogs as the species continues to struggle, with starvation now a major threat to their survival owing to a decline in the insects they eat.

The charity will highlight the issue with a hedgehog-friendly garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which will include three hedgehog houses, a dead hedge habitat, and beds of pollinator-friendly plants. It is hoped the garden will inspire people to encourage wildlife into their gardens and protect them from harm.

Other tips for helping hedgehogs have been shared by the charity, including prioritising real lawns over artificial grass or gravel, creating bug hotels to boost the insect population, and providing a ramp in and out of ponds. Tinned dog or cat food can be left outside for hedgehogs overnight, but milk can cause diarrhoea and bread is not nutritious enough.

Highlighting the plight of the species, the RSPCA revealed that it has taken more than 10,000 hedgehogs into care in the past five years. A 2022 study by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the People’s Trust for Endangered Species found that the rural hedgehog population in British has declined by up to 75 per cent in the past twenty years.

Evie Button, scientific officer at the RSPCA said: “It’s really sad to think that our beloved night time garden visitors are at risk of starving in our own backyards. With busier roads, increased building sites and loss of hedgerows all impacting a hedgehog’s natural environment and their ability to find food, it’s essential we all do what we can not only to protect hedgehogs, but also to help them thrive.”

Martyn Wilson, who has designed the RSPCA garden, added: “Hedgehogs are a gardener's friend as they eat beetles, caterpillars, worms and other invertebrates, so as gardeners we need to be doing all we can to protect them from dangers such as harmful pesticides that wipe out their food sources.

“We all have a responsibility to help wildlife, and we can also make it easier for hedgehogs to thrive and find food and water. It’s simpler than you might think and the good news is hedgehogs can be welcomed into the garden without compromising on style. The RSPCA Garden demonstrates plenty of ways people can take simple but effective steps in their own gardens.”

 

Images (C) RSPCA

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Charities' XL bully neutering scheme closes

News Story 1
 A scheme that helped owners of XL bully dogs with the cost of neutering has closed to new applications due to high demand.

The scheme, run by the RSPCA, Blue Cross, and Battersea, has helped 1,800 dogs and their owners after XL bullies were banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

In England and Wales, owners of XL bully dogs which were over one year old on 31 January 2021 have until 30 June 2024 to get their dog neutered. If a dog was between seven months and 12 months old, it must be neutered by 31 December 2024. If it was under seven months old, owners have until 30 June 2025.

More information can be found on the Defra website. 

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Avian flu cattle outbreak spreads to tenth US state

Cattle in two dairy herds in Iowa have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), making it the tenth state in the USA to be affected by the ongoing outbreak of the disease in cattle.

Since March 2024, more than 80 herds across the USA have been affected by the virus and three dairy workers have tested positive. Authorities have introduced measures to limit the spread of the virus and farmers have been urged to strengthen their biosecurity protocols.

Mike Naig, Iowa secretary of agriculture, said: "Given the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza within dairy cattle in many other states, it is not a surprise that we would have a case given the size of our dairy industry in Iowa.

"While lactating dairy cattle appear to recover with supportive care, we know this destructive virus continues to be deadly for poultry."