During the spring, hedgehogs mingle in the gardens together with people who want to trim, dig and fix before the summer. But if you are not careful, you risk harming the hedgehogs, who eat themselves before the mating season during the spring months.
The vet now appeals to Helagotland Lotta Persson that more people should be careful in their gardens.
In the last week alone, she has received five badly injured hedgehogs with open wounds and mangled body parts, whose lives could not be saved.
– They had big wounds and are suffering badly, so the only thing I can do is euthanize them, she tells the newspaper.
The clearing saw and the robotic lawnmower become the hedgehog’s biggest dangers
It is difficult to know exactly what caused the hedgehogs to injure themselves, but clearing saws and robotic lawnmowers are possible causes.
Landowners should therefore avoid driving their self-propelled lawnmowers at night, when hedgehogs are most active. Whoever is cutting grass and weeds at ground level is also asked to bend down first, to make sure no animals are lurking in the greenery.
How to help an injured hedgehog
It is possible to save an injured hedgehog with warmth, food and water. Otherwise, it risks a painful death.
– An injured hedgehog is soon attacked by birds that peck out its eyes and flies that lay eggs in the wounds, says Lotta Persson to Holagotland.
Anyone who is not trained in wildlife rehabilitation may only care for a hedgehog at home for 48 hours. It must then be handed over to a trained game warden.