by Antony Porter.

It is heartening to learn that the hedgehogs of London’s Regents Park have evidently learnt to stay alive by never leaving that park. Conservationists who recently tagged a colony of up to fifty hedgehogs found that they survive simply by not attempting to cross the capital’s roads.
 
Motor vehicles kill thousands of hedgehogs on Britain’s roads every year. There are fears that they could vanish from our rural areas within a decade. These lovable, harmless creatures are often left squashed in the road. And with the ever-increasing motorisation and expansion of Britain’s thoroughfares, they simply don’t stand a chance.
 
Drivers and motorbike riders are therefore encouraged to reduce their speeds, especially within the countryside and nearby. They can also support wildlife groups in their initiatives to protect animals from traffic. At night hedgehogs can be seen in headlamps and thus avoided. Given the opportunity, many will move away quickly.

Image courtesy of Richard McMellon https://www.flickr.com/photos/37568385@N07/