Hedgehog Helper(s) Wanted!

Wildlife charities People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) & the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) are looking for a committed, enthusiastic, community orientated and nature-loving volunteers (‘Hedgehog Helpers’) to help with a hedgehog research project currently being carried out at the University of Reading.

The project is investigating the benefit of putting holes in/under fences, walls and other barriers in gardens, to see how these holes (and therefore improved connectivity) affect hedgehog movement. The research team will collect data from hedgehogs (via GPS trackers) before and after the holes are created. This is part of the wider hedgehog conservation work being carried out by Hedgehog Street (run by PTES & BHPS).

The Hedgehog Helper(s) is needed to:
• Engage with their neighbours over the next few months to generate interest in making ‘hedgehog highways’
• Help catch and tag hedgehogs (with the research team) in spring 2019 (before the holes are created), and again in summer 2019 (after the holes are created)

The ideal candidate(s) must:
• Be a homeowner with a garden
• Be committed, enthusiastic and nature-loving
• Have strong connections within their community and be happy to speak with their neighbours to get them on board too
• Live in an urban/suburban part of Britain, in the region of 0.25km2 in size (we can send a photo to show an example of site size)
• Live in an area where there are lots of gardens nearby
• Live where there is an existing population of hedgehogs
• Be willing to create a hole (no bigger than a CD case size) under their fence

A few caveats:
• The charities are looking for someone who hasn’t been involved in a project attempting to increase the number hedgehog highways locally, and does not release rehabilitated hedgehogs into their garden

If you are interested, please email Abi Gazzard, lead researcher of this project, to find out more: Abigail.Gazzard@pgr.reading.ac.uk.

The deadline for application is: 30 November 2018.

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