Animals find little food this year

It has never been as dramatic as this year: Up until 2015, the hedgehog station in Gerbrunn took in up to 330 needy hedgehogs on average every year, but the last few years have seen an extremely significant decline, according to a press release. In addition to the death of insects came the last hot, dry summers. Thus the insect eater lacked the basic food. This year the hedgehog station already dealt with a large number of dead hedgehogs that starved or thirsted.

Now in summer it is particularly bad because the female hedgehogs have young. If the mother hedgehog finds no food, it means death for her brood as well. The hedgehog station in Gerbrunn and the environmental station of the city of Würzburg advise all garden owners to provide water and wet cat food (at least 200 grams) that is not accessible to rats. The nocturnal animals are now looking for food during the day too.

Secure garden ponds

Garden ponds are always a deadly danger for the useful animal. Garden pond owners should make sure to either secure the pond, but not with nets, or to install access aids. A board or a flat bank is enough, the message goes on to say.

If you accidentally come across a hedgehog’s nest, please close it again immediately, do not touch the young and avoid any disturbance in the vicinity of the nest. If naked and blind babies are found outside the nest, something has happened to the mother hedgehog and she does not come back. In this case, the small hedgehogs must be collected immediately and connected to a hedgehog station.

Anyone who generally wants to help the hedgehogs in the garden can, in addition to providing food, also create shelter options, for example creating a brush pile in a protected area all year round, covering it with leaves, and the hedgehog has a place to hibernate or to give birth to its young.

The hedgehog station in Gerbrunn has been run by Gudrun and Herbert Martin for 30 years. You work on a voluntary basis and at your own expense. Aid for so many animals can only be done through the support of donations, says the message.

ask The environmental station of the City of Würzburg will answer you personally or by phone: (0931) 374400, email [email protected], to support other wild animals and to promote biodiversity

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• Gerbrunn

• Volunteering

• Garden owner

• hazards

• Need for help

• Insect deaths

• City of Würzburg

• Cities

• Malfunctions and incidents

• Animals and wildlife

• Environmental stations

• Wildlife

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