Autumn is a crucial time for hedgehogs – particularly for juvenile ‘hoglets’ like Wendy.
Wendy was discovered, apparently abandoned, on a footpath near the school by Woodham Academy student, Jade Carr, and her friends – who promptly put her in a box and brought her in for the Wildlife Club to look at. And it is just as well they did. As it was, little Wendy was underweight and suffering from an infestation of mites – creepy parasites that bury themselves in the flesh of their hosts and suck their blood; Wilson’s Vetinary Practice, who were kind enough to take charge of Wendy, told Mr Heaven of the Wildlife Club that she would not have survived much longer, if it hadn’t been for Jade’s quick thinking.
Normally, the school would advise students to leave any wildlife they encounter on their way to school well alone, but, as was the case with Wendy, it sometimes pays to be observant. For hoglets who are born late in the year – perhaps as part of a second litter, it is touch and go whether or not they out-live the nasty winter weather. To stand a fighting chance, young autumnal hedgehogs must weigh in at between 1.2 – 1.5 lbs, and have access to a plentiful supply of slugs, insects and earthworms, water and shelter.
Having been warmed up, fed and freed of her unwanted visitors, Wendy will be fostered out to a local carer – who will help ensure she is kept safe until she is released back into the wild next spring. Thanks to Jade’s kindness, and the skill of the staff at Wilson’s Vetinary Practice, we very much hope to reacquaint ourselves with Wendy next year; and, if we are very lucky, she may even decide to take up residence in one of the school’s hedgehog boxes, or in the comfort of a specially constructed dead border, or amongst the leaf litter and windfalls of our wildlife-managed hedgerows.
