When was the last time you saw a hedgehog?

West Country
Hedgehogs
Exeter
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Monday 19 October 2015 at 10:15pm

Devon Wildlife Trust - and some familiar faces - have some practical tips on saving our prickly pals. Credit: Wild About Gardens / Tom Marshall

Hedgehogs are disappearing. Research by People’s Trust for Endangered Species shows a

in just the last

There are now fewer than

But while they may be in decline, many of you have experienced your very own hedgehog encounters. Here are some of the best pictures:

Credit: Carol Thorne

Credit: Christina May Pillar

Credit: Kim Payne

Credit: Jo Barton

This year's Wild About Gardens Week is all about saving our prickly pals - and Devon Wildlife Trust is having a free Wild About Hedgehogs day on Thursday 29 October at its Cricklepit Mill, near Exeter’s historic quayside.

As well as hedgehog-themed games and crafts there'll be advice on making your garden more hedgehog-friendly.

Celebrities including Twiggy, Ben Fogle and Bill Oddie are joining in the fun, and calling on gardeners to save hedgehogs - with some handy practical advice.

“I can honestly say that I have not come across a wild hedgehog anywhere – whether in the woods or countryside or garden or my garden – for something like three or four years. That is really sad because, let’s face it, they’re one of these little creatures which everyone knows – Mrs Tiggywinkle. It’s an animal that everybody loves. Nobody’s frightened of them. “Hedgehogs do a fantastic job in your garden munching up worms in particular, the odd slug occasionally and, I dare say, they’ve been known to crunch open a few snails. Basically the hedgehog is the gardener’s friend. There’s no two ways about that. But not just that they are a delightful addition to your garden fauna –the birds, the animals, the insects - the hedgehogs, they belong there. We need them. They should be part of it. But if you are lucky enough to have them, you’ve got to make it possible for them to get in and to get out. Think of it as the hedgehog door – to food, to adventure and the way back home.”