Help needed with hedgehogs in Worthing area

Pete Foggon from Sompting Wildlife Rescue says more hedgehogs than ever before have been reported this year.

He wants to make people aware of the need to help feed them, especially the babies, so they are big enough to hibernate.

Pete said: “Hedgehogs are endangered now and we have had people in their 30s who say they have never seen one, which I find incredible.

“This year, with Covid, more people have been in their gardens and it has been warm as well. Everyone has been saying they have seen more than ever before.

“The hedgehogs have really suffered this year. Lots of them have been really dehydrated and a lot of the babies are too small to hibernate. We thought we would lend a hand and are planning to overwinter more.

“We have limited spaces but judging by how many big ones are around this year, we’re going to need help.”

Sompting Wildlife Rescue is working with Debbie Henner at Lancing & Sompting Help For Hedgehogs to increase the capacity for hedgehogs that need overwintering.

Pete said: “My wife Gayle and I are both veterinary nurses and we have always taken on injured animals that need long-term care.

“Three years ago, we moved to Sompting and got permission to build a unit at the bottom of the garden. We have taken on some lovely animals.

“Now, I am looking for more people to help. It is really just a question of feeding the hedgehogs, so they can grow large enough to hibernate.

“The wet weather has been great, bringing out the slugs, which they eat, but there are so many small ones about now. They really need the fat on them.

“We have them regularly in our garden and mark them up with nail varnish so we can monitor them. People have been really understanding and they want to help.”

Pete and Gayle have been involved in the EPIC Project on Sompting Estate and one of the surveys found hundreds of hedgehogs in the area.

Hedgehogs tend to have their babies in September and hibernate by the end of October. Pete said it is best to feed hedgehogs cat or dog food, wet or dry, not the bread and milk that many people have traditionally put out.

Find Sompting Wildlife Rescue on Facebook for updates and visit www.somptingwildliferescue.co.uk for more information.

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