Carole Catchpole - Northumbrian Hedgehog Rescue...
My love of hedgehogs began way back in the early 80's when we discovered they were visiting our garden. To encourage them we set up a feeding station and they became regular visitors. One night we counted 13 eating together but those days are probably long gone. They are now classed as endangered and could be extinct in another 20 years if we don't take care of them. It is mainly due to loss of habitat and overuse of chemicals on the land. When you tell people this the majority comment they haven't seen a hedgehog for years, even squashed ones on the road - it is a serious problem.
Because of my love of hedgehogs I became a member of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society in order to further my knowledge, which was fortunate as in 1998 I found a young hedgehog in my garden which I knew to be underweight for successful hibernation (600 grams) With advice from the B.H.P.S. Henrietta successfully made it through the winter and was released in the Spring.
From those small beginnings Northumbrian Hedgehog Rescue was born and has grown into what it is today with 17 volunteers coming in weekly to help care for the hedgehogs here (every hedgehog has to be cleaned out daily, checked and weighed as weight gain is a good indicator as to the success or otherwise of treatment) and a further 7 fosterers who take care of our hedgehogs on their own premises. As we speak we have 98 hedgehogs here and a further 30 in foster care. This is the largest numbers we've ever had at one time and is probably due to the early winter which prevented a lot of hedgehogs finding a food source and therefore unable to build up their brown fat reserves which allows them to successfully hibernate.
Although we don't like to think of the costs, running N.H.R. is obviously expensive (we estimate approximately £8,000 per year) and the majority of funding comes from my own pocket with some people leaving a donation when they bring a hedghog to us. Last year our largest benefactor was Waitrose Community Matters which raised £277 - a great boost to our funds. The main costs are food (the average hedgehog eats 1/2 can cat food per night plus biscuits and sometimes a fairy cake if they're not too keen to eat!) vets bills for mediation and treatment, rabbit hutches used as housing (£40 each) and heat pads (£30 each) which are required when a sick hog arrives here. There are of course other costs such as electricity, petrol, phone calls etc. etc.
At present we are the only hedgehog rescue recommended by the R.S.P.C.A. in Northumberland and also receive referrals from St. Tiggywinkles and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society as well as vets both locally and from Tyneside. Also if anyone wants advice about "their" hedgehogs I am only a phone call away and very happy to help.
