Hedgehog survey in Carmarthenshire
A new hedgehog survey is being launched in Carmarthenshire following concerns that numbers of the creatures are declining in the county.
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales and Carmarthenshire County Council have teamed up to find out more about the status of this much loved species.
People are being encouraged to help out by reporting when they have seen any hedgehogs, whether they are dead or alive.
Hedgehogs are generally common in parks, gardens and farms, and their spiny bodies make them unmistakeable.
But it seems that the creature made so familiar to children by Beatrix Potter’s ‘Mrs Tiggiwinkle’ is not as common a sight as it once was.
The council’s Biodiversity Officer Isabel Macho said: “The hedgehog has recently been added to the list of priority species in the UK, with its own Biodiversity Action Plan. “Anecdotal evidence suggests that numbers have declined in Carmarthenshire, but our records of their distribution are relatively poor.
“We hope that people will let us know when and where they have seen hedgehogs. If we can learn more about where they are found, it will help us work out what actions we need to take to conserve them”.
Dr Lizzie Wilberforce, Conservation Manager with the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, added: “Hedgehogs are an iconic species and give great pleasure to many people who are lucky enough to have them in their gardens.
“We’ve had great responses in the past to appeals like this for sightings and records, and we hope that the residents of Carmarthenshire will do us proud again, and let us know about their hedgehogs.”
Hedgehog sightings can be reported online at www.carmarthenshirebiodiversity.co.uk or a survey form can be requested by writing to Lizzie Wilberforce, Carmarthenshire Hedgehog Survey, Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, Welsh Wildlife Centre, Cilgerran, Cardigan SA43 2TB.
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales and Carmarthenshire County Council have teamed up to find out more about the status of this much loved species.
People are being encouraged to help out by reporting when they have seen any hedgehogs, whether they are dead or alive.
Hedgehogs are generally common in parks, gardens and farms, and their spiny bodies make them unmistakeable.
But it seems that the creature made so familiar to children by Beatrix Potter’s ‘Mrs Tiggiwinkle’ is not as common a sight as it once was.
The council’s Biodiversity Officer Isabel Macho said: “The hedgehog has recently been added to the list of priority species in the UK, with its own Biodiversity Action Plan. “Anecdotal evidence suggests that numbers have declined in Carmarthenshire, but our records of their distribution are relatively poor.
“We hope that people will let us know when and where they have seen hedgehogs. If we can learn more about where they are found, it will help us work out what actions we need to take to conserve them”.
Dr Lizzie Wilberforce, Conservation Manager with the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, added: “Hedgehogs are an iconic species and give great pleasure to many people who are lucky enough to have them in their gardens.
“We’ve had great responses in the past to appeals like this for sightings and records, and we hope that the residents of Carmarthenshire will do us proud again, and let us know about their hedgehogs.”
Hedgehog sightings can be reported online at www.carmarthenshirebiodiversity.co.uk or a survey form can be requested by writing to Lizzie Wilberforce, Carmarthenshire Hedgehog Survey, Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, Welsh Wildlife Centre, Cilgerran, Cardigan SA43 2TB.
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