Yorkshire coast holiday provider opens caravan park for hedgehogs
Parkdean Resorts has constructed the tiny site, to protect them through the Winter.
UK Holiday booking provider Parkdean Resorts, which has holiday sites on the Yorkshire coast has launched a nationwide initiative to protect hedgehogs near to their caravan parks, as they go into hibernation.
It's created what it claims is the world's first caravan holiday park for hedgehogs
A spokesperson for the company said:
"Hedgehogs were put on the endangered species list this year for the first time, at risk of becoming extinct following a 98% decline in hedgehog population. This time of year, they go into hibernation snuggling into bushes and woodlands putting themselves at risk of being attacked by wild animals, being exposed to the elements and choosing dangerous places like bonfires. Because of this, Parkdean Resorts have built the world's first holiday park for hedgehogs, creating a safe and snug home where they can hibernate in peace.
What started as a local initiative at Parkdean Resorts’ White Cross Bay park in the Lake District, now expands nationwide as a message to bring hope for hedgehogs".
Parkdean Resorts created the made-to-measure park featuring:
• 4 snug caravan homes to hibernate in per holiday park
• Decking to enjoy the sunset
• Double glazing windows to keep the warmth in through winter
• A tight-knit community with neighbour hedgehogs next door
• Protected by Parkdean Resorts
98% of UK hedgehog population lost in less than 70 years
Hedgehogs are now endangered, with numbers in the wild believed to have been around 30 million in 1950, dropping to 500,000 in 2018. That’s a loss of 98% of the hedgehog population in just 68 years. If current rates of decline continue, it’s possible that hedgehogs could be completely extinct in less than two years. They hibernate in tight spaces in winter, and prone to being attacked by other wildlife and at danger of being caught in lawnmowers and other machines.
So we need to protect them at all costs.
How can you help hedgehogs?
There are lots of simple, easy things we can all do to help hedgehogs like:
• Creating your own hibernation hog hotel
• Making ponds safe with a ramp for them to climb out
• Not using slug pellets and harmful pesticides
• Creating hedgehog highways
Chief Customer Officer at Parkdean Resorts, Catherine Lynn, said:
"Hedgehog's becoming endangered is a massive blow for UK wildlife and wildlife lovers. We wanted to do something big and bold to grab the nation's attention and encourage everyone to play their part in helping protect them from extinction. And what's more eye-catching than a miniature holiday park, designed and built especially for hedgehogs? We hope this world's first will inspire people to support our prickly pals at their most vulnerable time of year."
Katy South, co-founder of Prickles and Paws, a rescue and rehabilitation centre for hedgehogs, said:
“Bonfires are usually fairly dry at the centre which, for a hedgehog looking for a warm, dry and sheltered spot, can seem like ideal places to nest. It’s therefore very important to make sure there are no hedgehogs hiding in a bonfire before it is lit. The best way to do this is by moving it on the day of lighting.
Remember, simply disturbing a bonfire before lighting it is very unlikely to result in the hedgehog leaving. This is because a hibernating hedgehog can take eight hours or more to warm and wake enough to be mobile and able to move out of danger. If a hedgehog is not yet hibernating, their defence is to curl into a tight ball, which also leaves them unable to move out of danger.
Therefore moving a bonfire on the day of lighting will allow you to spot, and carefully move, any hedgehogs that may be hiding at its centre.
It’s also good practice to light a bonfire from one side after moving it, as this will leave safe exits to allow any other wildlife to escape in plenty of time.”
To find out more about what you can do to support hedgehogs in the wild, see the full page here.