About 2,500 hedgehogs counted on first day of annual hedgehog count

On the first day of the annual hedgehog count this weekend, nearly 2,500 hedgehogs have been counted so far. According to a spokeswoman for the Mammal Society, there were 2,418 live hedgehogs and 54 dead hedgehogs.

Dit weekend is de #egeltelling. Twee weken geleden hadden we samen met buren het tweede nestje, maar zal je zien dat ik er precies dit weekend 0 tel in mijn tuin.💚🦔🦔🦔🦔 pic.twitter.com/pQS2xRXoeZ

— monique zwart (@moniqzwart) September 16, 2023

About 1,000 people participated in the count so far. Via tuintelling.nl and redactie.nl they can report if they have seen one or more hedgehogs. Just like last year, most hedgehogs were spotted in Zuid-Holland, followed by Noord-Holland and Gelderland.

Last year, a total of 4,500 hedgehogs were spotted on the first day of the hedgehog count. Then, during the entire weekend, a total of 9,400 hedgehogs were counted.

According to the spokeswoman, the warm weather could be the reason for a lower number of sightings. For example, the animals might find less food because the worms and snails they eat are deeper in the ground. "It may well be that hedgehogs are having a harder time because of this," the spokeswoman said

People can still participate in the hedgehog count until Monday.

Due to the steady growth of cities and villages, gardens are becoming increasingly important as a habitat for hedgehogs. Therefore, the Mammal Society wants to collect as much data as possible about the popular insectivore with the hedgehog count. According to the organization, the observations give a good picture of the distribution of hedgehogs in the Netherlands in order to get more information about the well-being of hedgehogs.