Pesticides, mowers & co:

The dangerous world of hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are finding it increasingly difficult to find suitable habitats and are therefore under massive pressure.

(Bild: Patrizia Haslinger)

This year is not a good year for hedgehogs, the animals are fighting for survival. Hundreds of hedgehogs are currently being cared for at the hedgehog sanctuary in Nüziders. Above all, there is a lack of suitable habitats.

It is shortly after midday when the phone rings at the hedgehog station in Nüziders. A number from the lowlands lights up on the display and Annelies Dalpez picks up: a hedgehog is trying to build a nest on the terrace of a house. "That's not a suitable place for winter quarters," says Dalpez. After a brief conversation, it is clear that the four-legged friend is not bothering the residents, but they are concerned about its welfare. And so the animal rights activist explains what the caller can do to relocate the hedgehog to another, more suitable place in the garden. "The phone is ringing all the time at the moment," says the 83-year-old. The woman from Nüzig has been the chairwoman of the Bludenz Animal Welfare Association for 41 years now and has been looking after injured, sick or orphaned hedgehogs for almost as long. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the animals, Dalpez emphasizes. "This year is not a good year for the hedgehogs," she adds with a worried face.

The habitat for hedgehogs is dwindling rapidly
Hedgehogs are frugal animals: all they need is enough food and places to hide in a comparatively small territory. Their diet includes insects, earthworms, snails, but also frogs and mice. However, there is a lack of suitable habitats: species-rich meadows, hedges and copses have become rare, according to the Nature Conservation Association. Added to this is the use of pesticides, weed killers and slug poisons both in agriculture and in private gardens. "Hedgehogs no longer find enough food or become collateral damage from pesticide use," Dalpez says plainly.

Around three hundred hedgehogs are currently being made fit for winter at the hedgehog station in Nüziders.

(Bild: Tierschutz Austria)

Many of the animals at the station are so malnourished that they would not survive the winter without help. A visible sign of this is the so-called "starvation fold" on the back of the neck. There are currently 121 animals in intensive care at the hedgehog station, with over 300 specimens being prepared for wintering.

Young animals also need to be fed at night
Among them are many young animals that have lost their mother. They need food every two to three hours, around the clock. And so the animal rights activist's alarm clock also rings at night to give the hedgehog cubs a bottle. "The mother was run over by a car, passers-by heard the squeaking of the young and called me," says Dalpez as she feeds a hedgehog cub. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case.

"Hedgehog mom" Annelies Dalpez has been lovingly caring for the spiny animals for many years.

(Bild: Bergauer Rubina)

It is precisely their natural instinct that is often the animals' undoing in traffic: instead of fleeing in the event of danger, hedgehogs usually crouch down on the ground and use their skin muscles to straighten their spiky coat. In most cases, this protects them from predators. However, this defense tactic is no match for an approaching car - or the sharp blades of a robotic lawnmower. The latter have also become a major threat to four-legged friends. Even if the automated gardening equipment does not completely overrun the spiky animals, they can still be severely injured and even suffer fatal wounds. Animal rights activists have been observing a connection between rising sales figures for robotic mowers and injured animals for years. "A ban on driving at night, as has been introduced for such devices in some parts of Germany, would make sense," says Dalpez. Hedgehogs are usually active at dusk and at night. But hunger drives them out of their hiding places during the day, especially in the fall.

Extreme weather has been very detrimental to hedgehogs
This year's extreme weather conditions have not only made life difficult for us humans, but also for local wild animals. Small animals close to the ground in particular, such as hedgehogs, run the risk of drowning after heavy rain or flooding or are unable to find a place to retreat to. This makes the work of volunteer animal welfare activists like Annelies Dalpez all the more important. She wants to carry on as long as she can. "My heart beats for the animals. Nevertheless, it would be nice if a suitable successor could be found in the future," says the 83-year-old.

Tips for a natural garden

• Create "wild corners" in the garden where leaves and branches are left lying around, as they provide ideal winter quarters for the animals. Alternatively, you can also set up a winter hut for hedgehogs.
• It is best to avoid pesticides completely.
• Only use robotic mowers under supervision and during the day - and only if manual mowing is not possible.
• The Naturschutzbund is happy about every hedgehog photo that is shared on its platform(www.naturbeobachtung.at)! Experts determine the images and use them to develop protection measures.

Everything needed to keep the hedgehog station running - medication, food, hedgehog houses - is financed by donations. "With ten euros, for example, I can buy a few tins of food," Dalpez points out enthusiastically. And that's what the animals need to put on their "fighting weight" of around 700 grams for hibernation. In spring, all the hedgehogs that have spent the cold season at the hedgehog station are then released into nature and gardens in safe, pesticide-free places.

Hedgehog station Nüziders: www.igelstation.at
Donations: Tierschutzverein Bludenz IBAN: AT91 3746 8001 0001 8457