Hedgehogs to be extinct in 10 years, warn experts

Hedgehogs are facing extinction and could disappear from British gardens in just 10 years, hedgehog experts have warned.

Britons are being urged to look out for underweight baby hedgehogs during hibernation season as climate change and the destruction of habitats threaten the small creatures.

See also: Hedgehogs - everything you need to know

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society has found that the number of hedgehogs has declined from 30 million in the 1950s to one million today.

Elaine Drewery, from Hedgehog Care in Lincolnshire, told the Lincolnshire Echo that it is not entirely due to it getting colder, but also "the destruction of natural habitats by humans" affecting the woodland creatures' ability to travel and forage.

See also: Cold weather sees rescue centre inundated with baby hedgehogs

Hedgehog expert Dr Nigel Reeve told the Daily Mirror: "The hedgehog is one of our most popular wild animals but it is now on real trouble and declining fast in Britain."

Celebrities including Twiggy and Ben Fogle are backing Wild About Gardens Week and urging gardeners to help save Britain's hedgehogs.

ITV News reports that Twiggy, patron of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, said: "We all need to help these special mammals – and there's so much that gardeners can do to reverse their decline.

"You can cut a small hedgehog hole at the bottom of your garden fence, leave wild nesting and hibernation areas, ditch the slug pellets and check that bonfire before striking the match!"