Feeding the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus L.)-risks of commercial diets for wildlife

Differences in Mortality of Pre-Weaned and Post-Weaned Juvenile European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) at Wildlife Rehabilitation Centres in the Czech Republic

Previous research from several European countries has indicated that the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is in decline. Wildlife rehabilitation centres contribute toward the protection of debilitated hedgehogs, including the young. Based on data from 27 wildlife rehabilitation centres, the mortality rate and the release rate of juvenile hedgehogs were evaluated depending on whether they were from normally timed litters (admitted from April to September) or from late litters (admitted from October to March). A total of 4388 juvenile European hedgehogs were admitted to wildlife rehabilitation centres in the Czech Republic from 2011 to 2020. The number of post-weaned young from late litters admitted (28%) did not differ from the number of pre-weaned young from late litters (29%). Where the outcome was known, young from late litters had the highest mortality rate (46%) in the year of admission. The release rate was the highest in post-weaned young from normally timed litters (86%). Further research should focus on the definition of optimal care and treatment of the underlying causes for admission of juvenile hedgehogs. The reproductive strategy (the timing of litters) of European hedgehogs under the climatic conditions of the Czech Republic affects the chance of survival of young at wildlife rehabilitation centres and likely also in the wild.

The Faecal Microbiome of the Wild European Badger Meles meles: A Comparison Against Other Wild Omnivorous Mammals from Across the Globe

Here we investigate the faecal microbiome of wild European badgers Meles meles using samples collected at post-mortem as part of the All Wales Badger Found Dead study. This is the first published characterisation of the badger microbiome. We initially undertook a sex-matched age comparison between the adult and cub microbiomes, based on sequencing the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Analysis used the QIIME 2 pipeline utilising DADA2 and the Silva database for taxonomy assignment. Fusobacteria appeared to be more abundant in the microbiomes of the cubs than the adults although no significant difference was seen in alpha or beta diversity between the adult and cub badger microbiomes. Comparisons were also made against other wild, omnivorous, mammals’ faecal microbiomes using publicly available data. Significant differences were seen in both alpha and beta diversity between the microbiomes from different species. As a wildlife species of interest to the disease bovine tuberculosis, knowledge of the faecal microbiome could assist in identification of infected badgers. Our work here suggests that, if comparisons were made between the faeces of bTB infected and non-infected badgers, age may not have a significant impact on the microbiome.

What makes a house a home? Nest box use by West European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) is influenced by nest box placement, resource provisioning and site-based factors

Artificial refuges provided by householders and/or conservation practitioners potentially represent one mechanism for mitigating declines in the availability of natural nest sites used for resting, breeding and hibernating in urban areas. The effectiveness of such refuges for different species is, however, not always known. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey of UK householders to identify factors associated with the use of ground-level nest boxes for West European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus), a species of conservation concern. Overall, the percentage of boxes used at least once varied with season and type of use: summer day nesting (35.5-81.3%), breeding (7.2-28.2%), winter day nesting (20.1-66.5%) and hibernation (21.7-58.6%). The length of time the box had been deployed, the availability of artificial food and front garden to back garden access significantly increased the likelihood that a nest box had been used for all four nesting types, whereas other factors related to placement within the garden (e.g., in a sheltered location, on hardstanding such as paving, distance from the house) and resource provisioning (bedding) affected only some nesting behaviours. The factors most strongly associated with nest box use were the provisioning of food and bedding. These data suggest, therefore, that householders can adopt simple practices to increase the likelihood of their nest box being used. However, one significant limitation evident within these data is that, for welfare reasons, householders do not routinely monitor whether their box has been used. Consequently, future studies need to adopt strategies which enable householders to monitor their boxes continuously. Ultimately, such studies should compare the survival rates and reproductive success of hedgehogs within artificial refuges versus more natural nest sites, and whether these are affected by, for example, the impact of nest box design and placement on predation risk and internal microclimate.

Fine-scale habitat selection of a small mammalian urban adapter: the West European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)

Understanding patterns of habitat selection and factors affecting space use is fundamental in animal conservation. In urban landscapes, such knowledge can be used to advise householders on how best to manage their gardens for wildlife. In this study, we tracked 28 West European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus), a species of conservation concern in the UK, in an area of high-density housing using radio and GPS tags to quantify patterns of habitat use and identify factors associated with the proportion of time spent in individual gardens. Both males and females exhibited a preference for residential gardens, but there were subtle differences between the sexes in relation to house type and front versus back gardens. Hedgehogs spent significantly more time in gardens where artificial food was provided, where a compost heap was present, if foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were infrequent visitors, if it rained overnight and as daylength increased (i.e., shorter nights); garden use was not significantly associated with variables potentially likely to reflect invertebrate prey abundance. These data suggest that the primary positive action that householders can undertake for urban hedgehogs is providing supplementary food. However, householders often feed hedgehogs after they know they are already visiting their garden. Consequently, the presence of artificial food may make it difficult to identify other important influences affecting garden use. Finally, we report that a GPS fix acquisition rate < 60% likely had no major effect on the results of our analyses, but should be a consideration in future studies using this technique on this species and in this habitat.