HEDGEHOGS FN WILTSHIRE, A SURVEY, 1999-2000 



67 



1. Lavington SU0254 (John Oram) 



A resident for over 30 years, an experienced 

 gardener and naturalist, had noted many hedgehogs 

 in his garden and adjacent to it. But these had 

 declined in the last ten years or so. In April 2000 he 

 heard a loud noise in the garden and found a badger 

 attacking a large hedgehog which it had been able 

 to unroll. The badger was chased away but the 

 hedgehog was mortally wounded.. No further 

 hedgehogs have since been seen. There have been 

 increasing numbers of badgers in recent years 

 coming down from setts in the chalk escarpment 

 to the gardens of Easterton and Lavington. Note 

 that the Lavington Garden Club members have 

 seen no hedgehogs in the last two years. 



2. Malmesbury ST 927873 (David and Jean Wall) 

 Hedgehogs are found in the gardens in Malmesbury 

 but they had not been noted in the Walls' garden 

 on the west edge of the town for eight years. A large 

 one was seen on July 8th 2000 and one week later a 

 hedgehog skin was found there. A second skin was 

 found in the same garden on Sept 2nd. There is a 

 badger sett within 200 yards. 



3. Upton Lovell ca. ST9440 (Jane Harington) 

 At least twenty live sightings in Upton Lovell and 

 at Knook East Farm from April to August 2000. 

 Dead hedgehogs: one killed by road verge cutter, 

 two RTAs, one found dead in a garden and four 

 found eaten leaving residual carapace, 

 (ST946409,946408,937417 and 945409) Main 

 badger sett at ST 943415 with evidence of badgers 

 entering village and farm. 



4. Lockeridge and around (Jack Oliver) 

 SU149676: hedgehogs very common 1969-81. In 

 1981,82,83 and 84, numerous hedghog pelts (upper 

 jaw and spines) found , all the rest scooped out by 

 badgers. Since 1984 no hedgehogs seen. The last 

 mother hedgehog was seen moving her young from 

 the south to the north of our house, away from the 

 badger sett. 



SU130679 (W.Overton): hedgehogs still present 

 in small fenced gardens 



SU146686,150710 and 143673: no hedgehogs 

 in recent years; badger setts numerous. 



5. New Mill ca. SU1861 (Humphrey Kay and 

 Rachel Edwards) 



A hamlet between the railway and the canal has 

 had hedgehogs regularly for many years. In 1999 a 

 carapace of a young hedgehog was found in a field 



SE of the hamlet where much fresh horse dung had 

 been disturbed, presumably by badgers., and two 

 carapaces were found in a rough part of a garden 

 to the SW of the hamlet. (Two young hedgehog 

 carapaces found by the road had been partly 

 consumed but could have been road casualties. 

 The main badger sett is at SU191617 with outliers 

 at 186620 and other main setts further west close 

 to the canal. There is no positive evidence of an 

 increase in badger numbers but dung pits at 

 SU1 85620 and 185621 were new features in 1999 

 and 2000. Despite this evidence of predation 

 hedgehogs are still present in the hamlet in 2001. 



5. Bradford-on-Avon ST8 18608 (Gwyneth 

 Yerrington) 



We have lived in Bradford for almost 35 years and 

 hedgehogs have been very common with many visits 

 and sometimes hibernations beneath a hedge. Over 

 the last 1 2 years or so visits have become fewer and 

 it must be at least eight years since I found a prickly 

 skin sitting on the lawn and the same thing 14 

 months before that. No sign of any limbs, head or 

 other bits of body. I was uncertain whether the 

 culprit was a badger or fox but inclined to the former 

 as a neighbour was awakened at 5 a.m. one 

 summer's day by the screams of a hedgehog which 

 was being attacked by a badger. 



Badgers have become more and more common 

 visitors to our gardens locally; there are setts nearby 

 and badgers have been seen running along roads 

 close to the town centre. 

 Similar evidence from Joan Ward living nearby 



7. Brinkworth ca. SU 0184 (Sally Russell) 

 Ten years ago many hedgehogs but they 

 disappeared 4-5 years ago at which time some 

 carapaces were found between Brinkworth and a 

 badger sett by the railway line. No hedgehogs at all 

 in the last two years. 



DISCUSSION 



There seems little doubt that there has been a 

 significant decline in the number of hedgehogs in 

 Wiltshire in the last twenty years and, to judge by 

 the frequency of more short-term comments, the 

 last two years particularly have seen many local 

 declines and extinctions. Hedgehogs roam widely 

 wherever there are fields with hedges, woodland 

 edges and, above all, gardens. Gardens provide a 



