ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS PRESENTED
 

Societas Erinacea
Bengt W. Johansson 
University Hospital (MAS), SE-205 02 Malmö, Sweden 

In the late sixties the seasonal variations of several biochemical and physiological parameters in the hedgehog was studied at the Heart Laboratory of Malmö. This was an interdisciplinary study with cooperation of research workers from several laboratories. 
It turned out that several scientists representing different disciplines were interested in the hedgehog. The idea came up to gather these research workers in a society and in 1973 I initiated the Societas Erinacea. 
The purpose of the society is not mainly to co-ordinate the research work but rather to make possible discussions between scientists on the common subject and interest - the hedgehog. Another purpose was to co-ordinate the collection of specimens of this animal, which is protected in Sweden. 
The original members of the Societas are research workers in the Malmö-Lund region, but the Society is open to all scientists who actively work in this field. There is no membership fee, but to become a member an introduction lecture has to be delivered. 
The forth issue in 1979 of the journal 'Forskning och Framsteg" (Research and Progress) sponsored by the Swedish scientific councils including the Swedish Research Councils and the Royal Academy of Sciences deals with the hedgehog and is produced by the members of the Societas Erinacea. Each member presents results in his field. 
Hans Kristiansson and Sam Erlinge present ecological data. They have followed a hedgehog population in a defined area and analysed the factors behind the decreasing number of animals. 
Sven-Olle Olsson gives a detailed description of the anatomical features including the characteristic quills and, in collaboration with Nils Mandahl, describes the taxonomy and the distribution on earth of the hedgehog now and in earlier days. The hedgehog was found on the American continent during the eocenic period but disappeared during pliocen. 
Hibernation in general but in the hedgehog in particular is described by Sven-Olle Olsson and Bengt W. Johansson who gives a report of the cardiovascular characteristics, especially the interesting events occurring during arousal and when the hibernator enters hibernation. Furthermore, the important task of the brown fat is discussed as well as the theories that have been presented to explain the phenomenon of hibernation. These authors, in collaboration with Göran Duker, Christer Owman, and Lars-Eric Thornell, try to explain why the hibernators tolerate hypothermia better than non-hibernating mammals. Data are presented, which show that the hedgehog is more resistant to ventricular arrhythmias than non- hibernators. This is true not only for ventricular fibrillation induced by hypothermia but also for fibrillation produced in other ways. An important finding is the characteristic sympathetic innervation in the hedgehog heart, which is confined to the conduction system and the vessels in contrast to the finding in the non-hibernator, where sympathetic nerve endings are found in close connection also to the myofibrils. 
Christer Owman, Nils-Otto Sjöberg, and Bengt Walles present the endocrinological characteristics of the hedgehog and Gunnar Nordin and Jan Löfqvist discuss the diseases and the parasites, especially the fleas from which the hedgehog suffers. 
The hedgehog has a characteristic chromosomal pattern including a large amount of heterochromatin. This is discussed by Nils Mandahl, who has applied the newly developed staining techniques to characterise hedgehogs captured in different parts of Europe. There is a difference not only between the western type Erinaceus europaeus and the eastern type Erinaceus roumanicus but the heterochromatin pattern can differ also within the westem type, for example between animals captured in England, in Sweden and Norway, and in Finland and the Danish islands. 
In the last chapter of the issue of 'Torskning och Framsteg,' Sven-Olle Olsson gives an account of how the hedgehog has been regarded in different cultures and during different time ages. The hedgehog has been used as food and different parts of the animal as remedies against ailments of various kind. 
 
 

The human relation to the hedgehog, from an European and Nordic perspective 
Sven-Olle R. Olsson 
Vannavägen 46, SE-212 32 Malmö, Sweden 

Ethymology. The names of hedgehog in the European languages have been formed from some different Indoeuropean word roots: (1) eghi-*, which we can be found in most of the Germanic languages, "der Igel". (2) ezio-* is another Indoeuropean word root for the hedgehog, which is common in the Baltic-Slavonic languages, "jez". (3) gher-* is the third Indoeuropean word root with connections to the hedgehog, "Erinaceus". The similarities to the pig has given the hedgehog many types of pignames: "Pindsvin" in Danish and "Stachelschwein" in high German. 

Hedgehog names used for other things. 
Many spiny or thorny substantives have borrowed the names of the hedgehog, which also have been used as "nicknames" for rather unpleasant people. 

The hedgehog in the old world. 
In the old Elamic culture the hedgehog was honoured as an enemy of the snakes. In many cultures the hedgehog has also been considered as a very wise animal. 

The hedgehog in the Nordic folklore 
Most people in the world have had a positive attitude towards the hedgehog, which has been inviolable. In Sweden there is a very close connection between the hedgehog, the brownie's pig, and the brownie, "hustomten", who bring happiness and good luck to the house, the farm and to the domestic animals, but the hedgehog can also bring death to the house. If you hurt him the good luck of the house will be brought away. The hedgehogs could also be suspected to milk and harm the farm animals. The hedgehogs were also used as weather predictors. 

The human use of hedgehogs 
The practical use of hedgehogs can be categorised as: (1)Use of the skin with all the spines as a brush or as a carding comb for linen or wool, which was very common in the antiquity. (2)Use of the skin as a helmet by the warriors in Mycenae, 1400 BC. (3)Use of the skin on the legs and on the udder of the cow to prevent steeling of the milk by wild animals. (4)Use of the skin on the udder, on the nose of the calf or on the breast of the mother to wean the calf or the child. (5)Use of the hedgehog fat as grease and as a folk medicine remedy. (6)Use of other details of the animals as folk medicine remedies. (7)Use of the hedgehog as food. 

Folk medicine 
Many parts of the hedgehog body have been used as remedies. The meat was considered to cure and prevent many types of diseases specially infectious diseases. The fat was also used for many different diseases, for instance for wounds and swellings, and it has been said that the German pharmacies sold hedgehog fat as late as 100 years ago. The hedgehog spines were used for dental diseases. 

Hedgehog as human food 
In China as well as in many other parts of the word, the hedgehog has been used both as food and as a remedy for many different kinds of diseases. The hedgehog was allowed to be eaten by almost all people except by the Jews and the meat was greatly appreciated as food. In Europe the hedgehog does not seem to have been a general and common food, but we might speculate that it was greatly appreciated in times of poor food supply. In Europe two types of hedgehogs were recognised the uneatable dog-hedgehog and eatable swine-hedgehog. The people, who dominated the hedgehog eating in Europe was the gypsies. Their habit of hedgehog eating is well known all over Europe and is central for their old food culture. The Swedish gypsies considered the hedgehogs to be clean animals. They really liked the meat, particularly during the autumn when the hedgehogs are really fat. 
 
 

Lipotyphlan phylogenetic relationships from a molecular perspective 
Ulfur Amason
University of Lund, Department of Genetics, Division of Evolutionary Molecular Systematics, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden 

The order Lipotyphla includes six extant families: Erinaceidae (hedgehogs), Chrysochloridae (golden moles), Solenodontidae (solenodons), Tenrecidae (tenrecs), Talpidae (moles) and Soricidae (shrews). The lipotyphlans have been considered to be among the most primitive extant eutherians but the relationships among the six have been controversial even though the Erinaceidae have commonly been considered as a sister group to the five other families. Morphological classification of lipotyphlans is difficult due to the combination of "primitive" and various specialised characters. 
Based on analysis of complete mitochondrial (mt) DNA molecules, Krettek et al. (1995) placed the hedgehog basal in the eutherian tree, but the absence of additional lipotyphlan data did not allow analysis of the phylogenetic relationship among the lipotyphlan families themselves. The inclusion of the complete mtDNA of the mole, Talpa europaea, (Mouchaty et al. 2000) in the phylogenetic analysis placed the hedgehog and the mole in entirely different positions in the eutherian tree, a finding inconsistent with lipotyphlan monophyly. While the basal position of the Erinaceidae was confirmed the Talpidae (plus the Soricidae) was identified as the sister group of the Chiroptera. 
On the basis of these findings the authors proposed that the Talpidae plus the Soricidae should be joined in the order Soricoidea. Additional analyses including the lesser hedgehog tenrec, Echinops telfairi, have split the Lipotyphla further by placing the Tenrecidae in an "African clade" together with the Tubulidentata, and the Proboscidea. It is probable that this clade also includes the Chrysochloridae, while the position of the Solenodontidae is still unsettled due to lack of comprehensive data. Provided the molecular findings are correct they underline some of the problems associated with defining the phylogenetic status of morphological characters which are strongly affected by adaptive specialisation. 
 
 

Human impact on populations of hedgehogs Erinaceus europaeus through traffic and changes in the landscape: a review 
M.P. Huijser 
Research Institute for Animal Husbandry (PV-Lelystad), P.0. Box 2176, NL-8203 AD Lelystad, The Netherlands. 

This paper focuses on the response of hedgehogs populations to human impact on the landscape, and discusses whether traffic mortality is likely to be a dominant factor in a possible decline of the species. Hedgehogs have relatively high population densities in small scale agricultural landscapes and urban areas with gardens and parks, whereas forests, large scale agricultural lands and urban centres have lower densities. Edge habitat was found to be favoured by hedgehogs and since the initial stages of human impact on natural forests must have led to an increase of this habitat, hedgehogs are likely to have benefit. However, the later removal of hedgerows and small woodland fragments in agricultural areas has caused hedgehog populations to decline locally or regionally. 
Hedgehogs are not particularly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation, but road density and traffic intensity have shown a strong increase over recent decades and they may have caused hedgehog populations to disappear in areas that already had low density. The current policy that aims for more compact urban areas leads to the loss of urban green spaces. Combined with an increase in barriers this will cause a reduction of hedgehog population density in these areas. Although hedgehog populations may decline, it seems unlikely that hedgehogs will be threatened with extinction in the near future. Furthermore, traffic mortality is unlikely to be the primary cause of a possible decline of the species. The way humans manage the landscape has far greater effects on the survival probability of hedgehog populations. 
The primary habitat of hedgehogs, urban areas account for only 8% of the land area of the Netherlands and because of the relative scarceness of these areas, the long term survival of hedgehogs may also depend on how well hedgehog populations do in other habitats. The current policy for a less intensive management of forests and other natural areas, combined with a greater tolerance for various dynamic processes, could be beneficial to hedgehogs since edge habitat will increase. Similar benefits could result from a transformation of selected agricultural lands into nature areas or into a network of set-aside lands and field margins. This may result in healthy hedgehog populations in addition to those in urban areas. 
 
 

Hedgehog road casualties on sample roads in Northern Italy 
Dino Scaravelli 
Riserva Naturale Orientata di Onferno, Comune di Gemmano, p. Roma 1, 1-47855 Gemmano (RN) Italy 

Erinaceus europeus pays a heavy toll to motor traffic. The number of dead hedgehogs on the road has been extensively used to investigate long-term population status and the relationship between landscape elements and the number of animals. 
A first effort to build up a network concerned with the study of the situation in Italy was carried out in 1999. Four observers were used and a total of over 10000 km of road were covered in a large variety of environments in the Romagna region between March and December. The general annual mean is about 0.6 specimens per kilometre (calculated on the April-November period), ranging from 0.02 on hill roads to 1.4 in lowland suburban areas. 
The results are also compared with the previous study available for the country. The monthly mean shows an increase in deaths from the middle of May to June and a new peak in October, probably correlated with the presence of the first and the second litter, as suggested by the percentage of young among the killed. 
The highest density of victims is related to open agricultural landscape and to the surroundings of suburban areas. 
 
 

Preliminary data on allozyme variation in Sardinian hedgehogs 
Dino Scaravelli* & Maria Grazia Filippucci** 
*Riserva Naturale Orientata di Onferno, Comune di Gemmano, p. Roma 1, 1-47855 Gemmano (RN) Italy 
** Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Roma "Tor Vergata", Italy 

Preliminary results on genetic variation in Sardinian specimens of Erinaceus europaeus are given. The electrophoretic analysis was carried out on 25 gene loci. Sardinian samples were compared with other seven Italian populations. Two phenotypes are known in Sardinia: the first type is close to typical E.e.italicus, with grey-brown muzzle and skin; the second type is characterised by pale yellowish belly and muzzle. Beside, the first type has spines with typical succession of black and white rings, whereas in the second phenotype the dark rings of the pines have a paler colour. Both phenotypes were present in our sample and no difference was found in their allelic frequencies. 
The analysis indicated a high affinity with Italian populations (D = 0.012, ranging from 0.008 to 0.020). Future analysis of larger Sardinian and Corsican samples will allow to clarify the origin of these insular populations and their affinities with mainland hedgehogs. 
 
 

Highway under construction - barrier or connection for hedgehogs 
Maria Nilsson
University of Kalmar, Department of Natural Sciences, PO Box 905, SE-391 29 Kalmar, Sweden

I have done a study on hedgehog-movements in the small villages Burlövs egnahem and Burlövs kyrkby as a part of my 20 credits Master of Science thesis work. This part of the study was carried out in order to find out how the hedgehogs move before and after the building of a highway (E22) and a small ecoduct. 
A second study is planned for next summer when the highway and the ecoduct are finished and traffic is switched on. 
The ecoduct is 38 meters wide and 70 metres long, with parallel sides. A five metre wide gravelled road is planned at the centre of the bridge. On both sides of the road, willows will be planted in rows to make the ecoduct a natural part of the surrounding landscape and to hide the sound-reducing barriers. 
The ecoduct was originally a way of convincing the politicians in Burlöv to agree to have the new highway in the place where it was planned in spite of the fact that it interrupted the connection between Burlövs egnahem and Burlövs kyrkby. 
Instead of a normal bridge the Swedish National Road Administration chose to build this 38 metre wide ecoduct to make an illusion of land that is stretching over the highway. The cost of this ecoduct, including the plantations was around 25 Mkr, while a small, "normal" bridge would have come to about 5-6 Mkr. 
The results indicate that the traced hedgehogs all stayed in their original area with one exception. Hedgehog BE3 did one small excursion from her original area (Burlövs egnahem), over the building site to Burlövs kyrkby. This is however only 0.6% (1/155) of the total hedgehog tracking nights and 4% (l/25) of hedgehog BE3s tracking nights. 
My results show that the male home range size varied between 11.5 and 18.8 ha (after excluding hedgehog BE5 and BE6 due to insufficient number of observations) while for females it was between 5.5 and 15.7 ha (after excluding BE4 for the same reasons). There are no significant differences between males and females, either in home range size or in distance travelled. Males travelled around 600 metres and so did females. 
The home ranges of hedgehogs living in the small villages of Burlövs egnahem and Burlövs kyrkby are strongly connected to the houses and the surrounding gardens. This indicates that an ecoduct might be a welcome addition to the landscape and may promote exchange between the two built-up areas. 
Since the ecoduct was primarily built for use by humans (residents of the two nearby villages) and as this usage is not in any way isolated from the "nature-like part" of the ecoduct, the possible use by animals is limited. If the bridge were to be closed of at nights an increase in animal usage may be the result. 
 
 

A study of habitat utilisation in the hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor): an evaluation of the spool-and-line method applied. 
Gundega Kampe
Natural History Museum of Latvia, Kr.Barona str. 4, Riga LV-1712, Latvia 

A major objective of this paper is to evaluate critically the advantages and disadvantages of the spool-and-line technique when used to investigate hedgehog's nightly movements. 
Rural hedgehog population was studied to obtain information about habitat selection and foraging strategy. The investigation was carried out on an area of traditionally managed farmland - in the village surrounded by small scale agricultural landscape. Data from 15 animals fitted with a quilting spool were obtained on 54 hedgehog nights in the period from June, 9 to August, 21, 1998. The available length of a spool - 284 m or 568 m - excluded any hedgehog home range estimates, bearing in mind that in one night this animal can cover an area of approximately 1 km2. Therefore, in my study I focus on habitat selection and feeding behaviour investigations. 
There were 4 study plots in the area of the village, each of them were divided into the different habitat categories. As the results showed - mostly used habitats was: cut meadows, and hardwood lines and groves. By the pattern of the thread deposition it was possible to gauge whether the animal used the particular micro habitat to forage, or simply it was just passing through. Jumble of the thread covering the area of several square metres in the hardwood line or growth, or on large dung heap near the cattle shed, clearly showed how intensively the animal used this area to forage. Frequent use of roads and beaten tracks showed that hedgehogs used them both ways - to travel from one place to another, and as foraging areas. 
The results obtained indicated that this method is effective in most natural and farmland habitats, and spool trails seems to follow the exact pattern of hedgehog trails. Therefore spooling technique can be regarded as effectively perfect for the ecological and behavioural work and for this purpose can give more precise and extensive information than radio-tracking. 
 
 

Testing and Treatment of Internal Parasites in Hedgehogs 
Janet Peto 
Hedgehog Welfare, UK

Every hedgehog that comes into care should have basic testing for internal parasites as an essential part of the initial treatment of the hospitalised animal. This is done by analysing the animals' faeces. All that is needed is some basic equipment - a low power microscope, a fine bladed knife (which should not be used for anything else), microscope slides (and cover slips) and a reference chart of parasites found in hedgehogs. 
No great technique is required. Using the fine bladed knife (which should be cleaned well between each sample) take just a very tiny amount from the faeces, smear it thinly on the microscope slide, add a drop of clean water and place another slide or cover slip on top. View the slide under the microscope and compare what you see to the chart. Keep a good record for each patient detailing what is found and when it was tested. Ensure that the knife and the slips and slides are cleaned properly and then they can be re-used. This method is very quick - I do every hedgehog that comes in within the first few hours, basically as soon as faeces have been produced, (those who care for hedgehogs know that this is quite often). I also test every hedgehog at least twice a week while it is under hospitalisation care, including very small hoglets. Using this method I can do up to 10 hedgehogs before leaving for work in the morning. 
The testing of hedgehogs faeces in my opinion is important, not only so that internal parasite problems can be assessed and if necessary treated, but also so that hedgehogs not requiring treatment do not have their systems contaminated with unnecessary drugs. You should remember that parasites will live in harmony with their host, so do not worry if an odd parasite is found, it is only when the balance is upset because of another factor that treatment should be given. 
The records you keep of treatments and findings, can be a source of information, for yourself to look back on and to learn from. Good records are an invaluable source of information for research studies, so never throw them away, always keep them or offer them to a researcher. 
A copy of the full paper including a list of common intemal parasites and their treatinent is available by contacting the author. 
 
 

Can cars drive over hedgehogs without hitting them? 
By M.P. Huijser 
Research Institute for Animal Husbandry (PV-Lelystad), P.0. Box 2176, NL-8203 AD Lelystad, The Netherlands.

I tested whether cars have sufficient clearance to drive over a hedgehog without making contact. The flow of air underneath and alongside a car was not strong enough to lift a hedgehog and have it bounce between the bottom of a car and the pavement. However, not all passenger vehicles have sufficient clearance to drive over hedgehogs; 25.5% of the passenger vehicles can hit a walking (sub)adult (minimum age 1 year) of average height. Juveniles are less likely to be hit; only 2.3% of the cars can hit a juvenile (age 2-3 months) of average height. The number of hedgehogs that are killed in this way could well be underestimated since most victims will have been flattened by the tires of the vehicles that follow before the victim is recorded. 
Hedgehogs react to traffic in different ways; they have been reported to ran away and also to freeze and crouch. Since (sub)adult hedgehogs are higher when walking, their behaviour may have an effect on their survival probability on a road 
 
 

Is the grass more attractive in the opposite side of the road? 
Görgen Göransson
Department of Natural Sciences, University of Kalmar, PO Box 905 SE-391 29 Kalmar, Sweden 

Hedgehogs were radio-tracked during summer in a small village in southern Sweden in order to monitor the habitat use in urban areas. The different individuals were active in rather well defined home ranges. There was a visible shift in areas used for foraging during the last part of July, when a Scarabeidae beetle was abundant in wide lawns like foot-ball plains. 
Some hedgehogs showed a more dangerous habit, with respect to the risk of being killed by motor vehicles on the roads, as they regularly crossed the roads. Others did cross roads more rarely. An index for the exposure to potential traffic mortality was calculated. Road mortality data from previous studies in the same are were compared. 
 
 

First radio-tracking studies of northern Italy's hedgehogs 
Scaravelli D.*, Bontadina F.** & C. Altamore* 
*Riserva Naturale Orientata di Onferno, Comune di Gemmano, p. Roma 1, 1-47855 Gemmano (RN) Italy 
** Oryx, Urban ecology and wildlife research, Wuhrstrasse 12, CH- 8003 Zürich, Switzerland 

In order to contribute to the currently very poor knowledge about the ecology of Italian hedgehogs, a radio-tracking study started in 1999 on hedgehogs in agricultural lands in northern Italy. 
The area where the study was carried out is located in the Forli plain and characterised by a patch of small properties with orchard, cereals and other herbaceous crops, in addition to river-bank wild vegetation. 
The aim of the study was to investigate the home range, habitat use and nest displacement of Erinaceus europeus italicus in an area characterised by orchard, cereals, other herbaceous crops and the more natural vegetation of a river bank. 
During 1999, four animals, one male and three females, were followed as a preliminary observation on the behaviour of the species. A first estimate of home range and activity pattern was made. The male has a territory 1 to 4 times the one of the females. The most frequent behaviour observed was feeding in orchards, the main habitats selected being peach orchards, as expected due to their availability, and wild vegetation, used mainly purposes other than feeding. 
The study will continue in the next season to build up the necessary data set for a better understanding of the observed population. 
 
 

Early dispersal and survival of juvenile hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) 
Hanne Saether, Beate Strom Johansen, and Eivind Roskaft 
Norwegian university of science and technology, institute of zoology Trondheim 

Juvenile hedgehogs survival and early dispersal from the parental nest was studied in Trondheim 1995. 25 juvenile hedgehogs (5 litters) were traced for one month. The juvenile's left their parental nest at the age of five weeks and the distance from the parental nest increased as the juveniles got older. By the age of 55 days the juveniles had dispersed 230 meters on average. At the end of the study the juveniles had still not left the mother's homerange. The study did not show any significant sex differences in dispersal distance. One possible explanation can be that the study took place over a short period of time and sex differences can probably not be recorded until after the first winter. Hedgehogs are not territorial and that can also be an explanation for the missing sex differences and the short dispersal distance. 
The study did not show any significant sex differences in body mass by the time the hedgehogs left the parental nest. Age differences among the litters when the parental nest was left were found, but there was no connection between body mass and time leaving the parental nest. A probable explanation can be that the juveniles had to reach a certain body mass before they left the nest. The difference in dispersal distance was reduced by time among the litters. 
Litter size was estimated to 5.4 (5 litters). The survival from age 4 weeks to age 9 weeks was estimated to 59%. Nine individuals died from predation by badger or fox. Nine individuals disappeared because of defect radio transmitters or because the transmitter fell of.
Homerange increased by age, no sex differences were found. Differences in homerange among hedgehogs are connected to reproduction and courtship. 
In this study it seems that the juvenile's had to reach a certain body mass before they left the birth nest. This is supported by the result that age leaving the birth nest were different among the litters but the weight was about equal. 
 
 

Attitudes towards hedgehogs and favourable management in urban areas 
Mats Wirén
Gatukontoret, Stadsmiljöavdelningen (S4424), Torpgatan 2, SE-205 80 Malmö, Sweden

Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), in ancient times used as 'house keeper', dinner or worshipped because of its mysterious power. In other words an appreciated animal. But what about the human attitudes of today? 
Knowledge about humans, relationship towards animals and influences of their background are essential parts in development of positive attitudes towards wildlife, nature conservation and environmental care, where educational planning and creation of educational environments are two considerable tools. 
In an attempt to get a more expressive picture of the animal-attitude complex in an urban situation a study of school children's attitudes towards 48 animals from six different attitude perspectives (appearance, preference, fascination, observation rate, urban association and threat) were made. One of the evaluated animals was the hedgehog. 
The cluster analysis resulted in ten different animal groups with dogs & cats, spiders & stinging insects and reptiles as the most distinct characteristics. The hedgehog clustered together with rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), hare (Lepus sp.), small birds in general and butterflies (Diurna) and were placed close to clusters with dogs & cats and different small bird species. 
The attitudes towards hedgehogs considering appearance, fascination and preference were higher than average of all evaluated animals, but more evenly spread than expected. Most of the school children believe the hedgehog to be totally harmless. The observation rates were comparably high, especially considering their nocturnal behaviour, even though the children associate the hedgehog with more rural environments than urban. 
Some of the analysed background factors had influences on the school children's attitude towards the hedgehog. 'Preference' was the most affected attitude variable and among the background variables town size, vegetation structure in neighbouring park, children gender, pet owning, nature hobbies and countryside holidays affected the attitudes towards the hedgehog. 
The adaptation to urban situations and because of its nature the hedgehog is an important educational tool. To increase the urban populations we can improve their habitats and prevent unnecessary mortality. 
 
 

An Interactive Hedgehog Project - a Pilot Project 
Beate S. Johansen 
Agder University College, Dept. of Natural Sciences, Box 422, Kongsgärd Alld 20, N-4604 Kristiansand, Norway 

Various methods exist to obtain data on the distribution and density of target species. Roll calls for information may be useful. A problem, however, with the use of questionnaires is the poor response. School classes can be reliable collectors of distribution data. A problem here is that the participating pupils and teachers often do not get the feedback necessary to keep up the motivation. 
In Trondheim, Norway, efforts have been made to solve these problems. The "Hedgehog Project", described below, is a project at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), which involves biologists and pedagogues. The technical staff has been located at the University of Bergen. School classes and others are invited to help the NTNU University Museum to map the distribution of hedgehogs in Trondheim. An on-line, interactive, inter-net based database gives the participants immediate access to the base, for input of data, as well as immediate response on a communicating on-line distribution/density map: The map communicates with the database, which plots the observations automatically. It is also possible to go the other way: when clicking on one of the dots on the map, a window comes up with all the data concerning this specific observation. Besides, there is an e-mail program communicating with the web pages so that anyone can send e- mails with questions to the hedgehog scientist, and get an answer openly on the Inter-net. This service has shown to be very popular for school classes, and is excellent also in combination with IT lessons, which are now obligatory in Norwegian schools. 
The pilot project has been restricted to one species, the hedgehog, and to one municipality, i.e. Trondheim. The hedgehog is especially suitable for this kind of data collection, being a "pedagogical" species and easily recognisable. The project has been unique, as the communication between the biologists, pedagogues, web-workers and participating schools has been exclusively on the Internet. The concept has been worked out by advisor Bjorn Larsson at the NTNU University Museum. The Norwegian Ministry of Church and Education has financed the project. You may read more about it here: "Larsson, B. 1999: Piggsvinkartlegging. Et opplegg for oppdagerglede, observasjon og kunnskapsspredning. Et konsept for design av et nettverksprogram". http://vann.zoo.uib.no/piggsvin/om/piggsvinkonsept.asp 
Among 48 primary schools which were invited to participate, 8 participated actively in the project. A total of 82 hedgehog observations around/in Trondheim was received during the period May - November 1999, which is a lot when we compare it with people's usual statement: "We don't see hedgehogs any more". 
English web page: http://nml.uib.no/english/hedgehogs 
Norwegian web page: http://vann.zoo.uib.no/piggsvin 
 
 

Handling and Caring for Hedgehogs with Skin Problems
Janet Peto
Hedgehog Welfare, UK

I have found that most hedgehogs that come into care, for whatever reason, develop some level of skin problem. If they are in for care for a long time, this appears to worsen, I am sure this is not anything to do with the standard of hygiene. Most hedgehogs in the wild have skin problems, which they appear to keep under control, this is probably due to the conditions they live in; temperature, dampness or their diet may all be factors. Could it be the stress of being in captivity or the food or because we keep them too warm and dry? These are problems that perhaps one day can be answered, but for now, it is the carers who have to deal with these animals the best way they can. 
When handling hedgehogs, good hygiene must always be observed, as some of these skin problems can be passed on but it should not stop you handling or treating them, so long as basic rules are adhered to. Always wear gloves that can be disposed of between each animal, thick material garden gloves are not good enough, they will protect you, but they do not protect the next animal you handle. Clean all surfaces, equipment, etc. well between each animal, treat every animal as if they are infectious. Keep animals that are contagious in lower cages, clean out and treat these animals after those that look clear of problems. Remember if you do catch a skin infection from hedgehogs (or elsewhere), you are then contagious to hedgehogs. 
For many years, I have believed that all hedgehogs that have ringworm also have mange mites. It is thought by some that it is the mange mite and fleas that spread ringworm from hedgehog to hedgehog - I think they are right. I therefore ensure that all hedgehogs that are brought into care, have all fleas removed as soon as possible, initially, by a quick spray of a anti mite spray for parrots, or picking them off with tweezers. The condition of the animal should be assessed before any treatment is given, as a very sick/weak animal should only have basic life saving treatment first and then be put in isolation, until it is stronger, before any other treatments are given. If the animal is reasonably strong but has visible signs of mites, you can bath the animal in a weak solution of a mange mite wash. This can, (if done quickly, quietly and using warm water) be helpful to the animal, especially if they are slightly dehydrated. A bath in this way also helps soothe itching skin. 
A copy of the full paper including a list of common skin problems and their treatment is available by contacting the author. 
 
 

Using casualty records from wildlife rescue centres to study the by mortality factors affecting wild hedgehogs 
Nigel J. Reeve* & Marcel P. Huijser** 
*School of Life Sciences, Roehampton Institute London, West Hill, London SW15 3SN, UK 
** Research Institute for Animal Husbandry (PV-Lelystad), P.0. Box 2176, NL-8203 AD Lelystad, The Netherlands. 

In this paper we report our recently published* analysis of a total of 856 records of hedgehog fatalities (collected 1992-1998) from two hedgehog rescue centres in the UK (Jersey and Yorkshire) and one in the Netherlands (Den Haag). Summary data for a further 11,541 hedgehogs were obtained from the British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (BWRC) quarterly statistics of wildlife casualties for the UK (1993-1997) in which hedgehogs accounted for 54% of all reported mammal casualties (16% of casualties of all taxa). 
Analysis of fatalities from the three hedgehog rescue centres revealed that 41 % of deaths resulted from anthropogenic (unnatural) factors, e. g. injuries from garden tools, road accidents, disturbance of nests (causing abandonment of young) and poisoning. 59% of deaths were from natural causes such as parasitic diseases and infections; endoparasite infestations were found in 65% of 470 animals tested. There were no significant sex differences in cause of death, but males usually outnumbered females. Significant age differences were shown with respect to unnatural injuries, road accidents and death from natural causes. Thus anthropogenic factors appear to be a substantial addition to natural mortality which seems to justify concerns about their possible effect on hedgehog populations. 
Although data from wildlife rescue centres will be affected by various sampling biases, all age groups and both sexes were well-represented and the demographic structure of our sample population resembled those obtained from conventional field studies. We propose that rescue centre records could, in the long term, provide a useful way of monitoring relative change in the mortality factors (both natural and anthropogenic) affecting local populations of wild hedgehogs. We present a revised casualty classification scheme which, if adopted by hedgehog rescue centres, would help to standardise the classification of cause of death or injury. 
*Reeve N.J & M.P. Huijser (1999) Mortality factors affecting wild hedgehogs: a study of records from wildlife rescue centres. Lutra, 42: 6-23