David Attenborough has spent a lifetime travelling the world and learning about wildlife, and now the naturalist has shared a top tip to help hedgehogs in your garden this summer
Attenborough offers advice for urban wildlife in his latest series(Image: BBC/Passion Planet/Joe Loncraine)
Following decades of travelling the globe, teaching and discovering wildlife from every continent, Sir David Attenborough has accumulated huge expertise, which he’s now sharing with homeowners across Britain.
Many people are eager to play their part in supporting wildlife, whether in their gardens, allotments or local communities, and the renowned naturalist has offered a straightforward tip for the months ahead.
Having lived in London for 75 years, Sir David has developed extensive knowledge of the capital’s urban wildlife and natural history, which he’s showcased in his recent series Wild London.
In one episode, he reveals a simple and practical tip that can be implemented in gardens during the coming months.
Now that hedgehogs have emerged from their winter hibernation, there’s one straightforward way to make your garden more welcoming for these small creatures – by creating a hole in your fence.
Hedgehogs need to be protected(Image: Getty)
Hedgehogs typically spend the winter months hibernating before re-emerging, so they’re expected to be active in roads and gardens, but to improve their chances of survival, they require easier routes to navigate their surroundings. The expert suggests this is an ideal solution.
He said: “I used to have a hedgehog that lived in my garden all the time, but now they’re a rare sight. They’re charming creatures, but not very social.”
“Nonetheless, urban places are the one place where their numbers have stabilised, and with little help from us, there’s hope that they might even increase.”
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David explains that the animals are frequently searching for a mate but encounter a “dead end” when they arrive at people’s enclosed gardens. As a result, residents have begun taking the initiative, establishing “hedgehog highways” through their fencing.
By making a small opening in your fence, in collaboration with your neighbours, you’ll enable them to move between gardens more freely, providing an easier pathway to encounter other hedgehogs for breeding purposes. Additionally, it significantly simplifies their nocturnal hunt for sustenance.
Hedgehog highways can help their chances of survival(Image: Getty)
These creatures typically consume up to 100 grams of food in a single night, which demands considerable effort as they forage for safe items to eat. This explains why they thrive in built-up areas, where there are considerably more accessible food sources available for them to find.
Gardeners’ World suggests cutting an opening as compact as 13cm x 13cm at the bottom of your fence, creating a miniature passage. Those with more expansive gardens can create multiple gaps to enable hedgehogs to cover greater distances in various directions.
Horticultural specialists recommend that taking the additional step of covering the opening with plastic sheeting and adding a layer of leaves can help discourage predators from entering. It also provides a makeshift refuge, and when placed in a quiet area beside a north-facing hedge, it offers the most secure possible spot.
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