Stop, move, check: how to keep hedgehogs safe this bonfire season

With Bonfire Night less than three weeks away and gardens being cleared for winter, wildlife campaigners are asking everyone building a bonfire to remember hedgehogs.

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society says a pile of branches and leaves looks like a perfect place for a hedgehog to make a winter nest. "They have no idea of the danger they're in," said Fay Vass, the charity's chief executive.

Stop, move, check

The charity's three-point plan is simple:

• Stop. Ask whether you need a bonfire at all. Going to an organised community display, or marking the occasion another way, means fewer bonfires and fewer wildlife casualties.
• Move. If you do have one, only build it on the day you plan to light it. Move all the material to a new, clear spot just before burning, in case hedgehogs, other wildlife or pets have crawled inside.
• Check. Before lighting it, from one side only, check the whole pile carefully. Shine a torch inside and gently lift each section with a pole or broom. Never use a spade or fork, which can cause terrible injuries. Listen for the huffing sound of a disturbed hedgehog.

If you find a hedgehog

Gather it up with its nest, using gardening gloves or a folded towel, and put it in a high-sided box with plenty of torn newspaper, towels or straw. Make sure the lid has air holes and is secured, because hedgehogs are good climbers. Keep the box somewhere safe and quiet, such as a shed or garage, away from the noise, and offer meaty cat or dog food or cat biscuits and water.

Once the embers are completely out, release the hedgehog under a hedge, bush or log pile near where it was found, with its original nesting material and more food and water.

A dry year

"After a summer where extreme weather has highlighted the damage and devastation wildfires can cause, we hope more people than ever will avoid having their own bonfires this year," Ms Vass said.

That message has particular force this autumn, with the region still officially in drought and gardens and green spaces very dry.

A species in decline

Hedgehog numbers in Britain have fallen sharply in recent decades. A study funded by the charity this year found that road traffic killed between 13% and 29% of hedgehogs in some local populations each year.

Gardeners can help by leaving wild corners with leaves and log piles, and by cutting 13cm square gaps, known as hedgehog highways, in fences and walls so hedgehogs can travel safely between gardens to find food and mates.

Birmingham's parks, allotments and suburban gardens are home to hedgehogs across the city, and many will be looking for somewhere to hibernate over the coming weeks.