Ark Wildlife is sponsoring the Ark Hedgehog Heroes BIG Giveaway to the sum of £2,500 during October to help raise awareness of the wonderful network of dedicated carers who give their time rushing to the aid of sick and injured hedgehogs day and night.
Throughout October, Ark Wildlife are asking people to nominate and vote for those who take in sick or injured hedgehogs by visiting www.arkwildlife.co.uk/heroes. You can vote for anyone on the list or add your own nomination. They don’t need to be a registered charity, just someone dedicating their own time to care for vulnerable hedgehogs. Votes count in the BIG Giveaway, so remember to tell all your friends about it as the carer with the most votes overall will also receive a gift pack to the value of £500.
Sean McMenemy Director of Ark Wildlife says “We’ve been proud sponsors of the Ark Hedgehog Heroes BIG Giveaway since its inception and we know from all the letters we receive what a huge help the donations make at this busy time of year”. He continues to explain “As well as financially helping the carers, last year’s event reached over 100,000 people and resulted in 100’s of additional orphan hedgehogs being brought in to care, young hedgehogs that otherwise would not have survived”.
"We rescue over 600 hedgehogs a year at East Sussex WRAS and giveaways like this make a huge difference to our ability to expand and take in more hedgehogs. We use alot of hedgehogs food and our hedgehog casualties always like Arks Wildlife's hedgehogs biscuits and Hedgehog Mix on their food and often helps encourage them to eat too. We are building up to the busy Autumn and Winter seasons when we can get in hundreds of hedgehogs and often overwinter over 130 hedgehogs costing £130 each" said Trevor Weeks MBE founder of WRAS.
Ark Hedgehog Heroes BIG Giveaway runs every October as this is the busiest time for carers. This is when autumn orphans (late born hedgehog babies that haven’t grown large enough to hibernate) add to the number of hedgehogs already in care with injuries from road and garden accidents. As well as helping carers, the aim of the event is to raise greater public awareness of the plight of hedgehogs at this critical time of year.
The hedgehog was voted Britain’s National species in 2014 and is one of the best-loved creatures visiting our gardens. Being the only native mammal covered in spines it’s easily identified and the bumbling hedgehog can be seen in most gardens across the UK. However, this close association with man can also create dangers. Various common injuries can be caused by power tools such as strimmers and lawn mowers, and garden netting and other mesh items such as football goals can trap animals. Hedgehog’s have a habit of sleeping in leaf piles, compost heaps and bonfires and are therefore vulnerable to nasty injuries from garden forks and burns from fires.
You can find out more about Ark Hedgehog Heroes BIG Giveaway and other ways to help hedgehogs on the following websites.
www.arkwildlife.co.uk/Heroes – Sponsoring Hedgehog Heroes
www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk – British Hedgehog Preservation Society
www.hedgehogstreet.org - Campaigning for hedgehog friendly gardens
If you find a hedgehog in distress or out during the day, first call: 01584 890 801 or look online for your local hedgehog carer.
Notes to Editors
- The Hedgehog population has declined by more than 40% in recent decades and domestic gardens are now vital habitat for their future survival. Increased public awareness will support the future of hedgehogs.
- The Hedgehog Heroes BIG Giveaway started 5 years ago as a social event on Facebook. It has grown expediential simply through huge public support and social sharing.
- Photos, further details and radio and TV interviews are available on request.
