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Project to explore climate’s impact on hedgehogs
hedgehog tunnel
The inside of a footprint tracking tunnel, being used to monitor hedgehog activity.
Researchers will look at winter food sources and hedgehog activity
 
Leicester researchers are set to explore how the changing climate is affecting British hedgehog survival during winter waking.

Led by Saadia Khan at the University of Leicester, the project will investigate whether warmer wetter winters are impacting invertebrate food sources for hedgehogs, which would have a detrimental impact on their ability to survive.

Hedgehogs wake up periodically during hibernation to forage for food in warm winter spells. Khan said: “With warmer winters, these periods of winter waking may be increasing. This poses problems if the energy lost during winter waking is not replaced due to the lack of food sources available in the winter.”

University of Leicester research on hedgehog activity is already underway at 12 sites and has previously looked at food availability and hedgehog activity in autumn.

Khan, who is being supervised by Dr Moya Burns from the university’s geography department, will build on this research by using footprint tracking tunnels to monitor hedgehog activity and putting out data loggers to explore whether there is a link between how often hedgehogs forage over winter, and ambient temperature. Food availability will be assessed by sampling for ground beetles, earthworms and slugs.

A previous study by Leicester City Council found several population clusters around Leicester and has helped to inform some of the sites in the current project.

Richard Kelly, natural conservation officer at the city council said: “It is hoped that the findings may indicate where extra conservation efforts could be focused in helping to reduce the decline of the hedgehog.”

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Pet Blood Bank announces twists to annual fundraiser

News Story 1
 Pet Blood Bank has revealed that its annual fundraiser, 'Around the Coast in 30 Days', will now include mini challenges.

It is the fourth year of the challenge, which asks people to walk, run, swim or cycle a part of a 11,232 mile goal.

However this year's fundraiser, starting 1 May, includes extra challenges throughout the month. Pet Blood Bank says these tasks will showcase its work.

The challenge can be completed individually, or as a team, with miles recorded on the participant's fundraising page.

Register here

Click here for more...
News Shorts
SCOPS updates anthelmintics guide

The Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) group has published an updated version of its free guide to anthelmintics.

Know Your Anthelmintics, created to help farmers and livestock keepers, lists the available products for treating internal and external parasites in sheep and gives advice on how they should be administered. This includes guidance on drenching and injecting correctly and minimising the impact that anthelmintics have on the environment.

The new version contains information about products released in recent months and changes to older products.

Kevin Harrison, sheep farmer and SCOPS chair, said: "I can't count the times I've used the SCOPS Know Your Anthelmintics guide when making decisions about my flock, to remind myself which group a wormer belongs to or check other details."

The guide is available on the SCOPS website.