People across the UK marking Bonfire Night this evening have been urged to carry out three vital hedgehog safety checks — stop, move and check — before lighting any bonfire at home. The advice is intended to help safeguard hedgehogs and other wildlife from injury.
Three checks urged before lighting a bonfire
The failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605 is remembered each 5 November with Bonfire Night celebrations across the UK. Also called Guy Fawkes Night, the occasion marks the thwarted attempt to blow up Parliament and assassinate King James I. For many, the celebrations mean an evening gathered around a roaring fire, watching fireworks burst overhead. From village gatherings to events in town parks, bonfires and sparklers are familiar features of the festivities.
Yet some people choose to host their own festivities at home in their back gardens, with smaller bonfires or private firework displays. Those planning to light a bonfire this evening have been urged to carry out three crucial checks to help protect wildlife, including hedgehogs, from harm.
Hedgehog Society and Manor Farm share advice
Southampton-based Manor Farm shared a post on its Instagram page issuing the warning, stating: "As Bonfire Night approaches, @thehedgehogsociety is encouraging everyone to #RememberHedgehogs and follow three simple steps: stop, move, check."
"A little extra care can make a big difference for hedgehogs and other wildlife seeking shelter at this time of year. Before you light it, check it."
The Hedgehog Society also shared its own Instagram post on the subject, stating: "This Bonfire Night, don't forget about hedgehogs! Before lighting your bonfire, make sure you're taking steps to keep hedgehogs safe."
The organisation warned that hedgehogs frequently seek refuge inside bonfires when they are built ahead of time. It added: "Instead of a bonfire, why not turn your garden waste in to a bug hotel?". They highlighted that this also offers an enjoyable activity for children while drawing in insects that serve as a food source for hedgehogs.
How to help keep hedgehogs safe during winter
Hedgehogs encounter considerable dangers during winter from freezing temperatures, malnutrition, and garden hazards as they prepare for or begin hibernation (usually between November and March). Here are some steps you can take to help protect them:
1. Provide food and water
Before they hibernate, hedgehogs must increase their body weight from roughly 450g to over 600g to survive the winter. Leave out plain, meat-based wet cat or dog food (ideally chicken or turkey) or specialized, high-calorie hedgehog biscuits. Never leave out milk or bread, as hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and these cause severe digestive distress and dehydration. Also skip standard mealworms, which can cause metabolic bone disease. Leave out fresh water in shallow, frost-proof dishes, and check it during freezing spells to crack any surface ice. To stop local cats or foxes from eating the food, place the dishes under a plastic storage box with a small hedgehog-sized entrance hole (about 5 inches square).
2. Create or protect winter shelters
Hedgehogs typically hibernate between November and April, relying on well-insulated nests to keep their body temperature from dropping below freezing. Stacking logs, creating dead hedges, or leaving piles of medium-sized leaves gives them ideal natural nesting spots. Leave out dry, dust-extracted barley straw under a covered area so they can gather it to build damp-resistant nests. Place a purpose-built, predator-proof hedgehog box in a quiet, north-facing corner of the garden on top of a stone slab to keep it dry.
3. Practice garden safety
Winter garden chores can unintentionally prove fatal to a hibernating or seeking hedgehog. Take extreme care before raking leaf piles, clearing compost heaps, or checking under sheds and decking where hedgehogs love to sleep. Cut small 5x5 inch holes in the bottom of your garden fences so hedgehogs can freely travel between gardens to find food and safer nesting spots. Hedgehogs can swim but will drown if they cannot climb out of a steep-sided garden pond, so install a simple wooden ramp or wire ladder at the water's edge.
