1 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:04,120 The humble hedgehog. 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:09,280 Secretive, snuffling and with a very special place in British hearts. 3 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:12,880 In my childhood, they were a common presence in our night gardens 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,600 but in recent years, they've suffered catastrophic challenges. 5 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:21,000 This, though, is a time to celebrate our favourite nocturnal mammal 6 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:23,720 and think of ways of giving them a helping hand. 7 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:34,000 Over the next hour, we'll meet Moonbeam, Russel, Claude, 8 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:36,280 Maggie and baby Natalie. 9 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:38,040 The most beautiful face. 10 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:39,800 I'll be hands on with the hogs 11 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:42,920 at one of the UK's top hedgehog rescue centres. 12 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,280 You're asking me to listen to a hedgehog? 13 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:46,600 There'll be rescues... 14 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:48,600 Let's hope that he does pull through. 15 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:50,040 ..and medical issues. 16 00:00:50,160 --> 00:00:52,400 I think there is a little fracture here. 17 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,680 We'll meet Grandma Hedgehog and her hog brood. 18 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:57,560 I love them to bits. 19 00:00:57,640 --> 00:00:59,440 And then there's Derek. 20 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:01,320 His spines started falling out. 21 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:05,120 And we'll show you how to make your garden hedgehog-friendly. 22 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:08,400 This is like Big Brother, but for hedgehogs. 23 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:13,440 I'm driving through Windlesham in Surrey 24 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,840 which is officially the UK's first hedgehog-friendly village 25 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:20,960 and the rescue centre that's behind this whole initiative 26 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,720 was set up by none other than rock god, Dr Brian May. 27 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:28,040 I have to admit, I'm a little bit star-struck. 28 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:36,240 Rock legend Brian May is also 29 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,880 a leading inspiration in animal welfare. 30 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,240 In 2009, along with wildlife rescuer Anne Brummer, 31 00:01:43,320 --> 00:01:44,920 he set up the Save Me Trust, 32 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,920 named after one of those famous Queen songs, 33 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:49,680 to help British animals. 34 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,120 But with hedgehog numbers on a rapid decline, 35 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,120 last year, Brian and Anne launched Amazing Grace, 36 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,840 specifically to help the hogs. 37 00:01:57,960 --> 00:01:59,880 Hi, Brian. How're you doing? I'm good, thank you. 38 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:01,520 Nice to see you. Nice to see you, Steve. 39 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:03,840 Rock legend to hedgehog hero. 40 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:06,240 How did that happen? Er, no, I'm not a hero. 41 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:08,600 I just do what I can. I mean, if I hadn't met Anne Brummer, 42 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:10,880 none of this would've happened. I had the will in my life. 43 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,680 I always felt for animals, but I didn't have any, um, 44 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:16,400 skills and I didn't have any knowledge really. 45 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:20,200 And because I'm well known, I'm able to have an effect out there, 46 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:23,600 so it's good to use notoriety to good effect, I think. 47 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:25,400 All kinds of people in the public eye 48 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:27,520 talk a lot about the extinction of tigers. 49 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:29,280 The hedgehog in our own country 50 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:32,000 is declining at roughly the same rate as the tiger is. 51 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,880 So you have to think, you know, we should be really dealing 52 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:37,160 with what's on our doorstep first. 53 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,280 Run us through some of the problems you're seeing with the hedgehogs 54 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:42,840 that are brought in here. This is a hard time of year for them 55 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,320 because many of them will be coming out of hibernation. 56 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:47,960 So many of the hedgehogs that come in here are dehydrated. 57 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:50,680 They need water. So if you're going to put something out for them, 58 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:51,920 put a dish of water out. 59 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,920 A lot of them come in poisoned with slug pellets, and yes, 60 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:57,560 they'll say some of these slug pellets are organic or whatever, 61 00:02:57,640 --> 00:02:58,920 but they still kill things. 62 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,040 I guess hedgehogs are nature's gardeners, aren't they? 63 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,120 Yes. They feed on a lot of the creatures 64 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:06,480 that we would consider to be pests. Absolutely, yeah. 65 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,560 Anything you put into your garden that's targeting those pests 66 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,000 is going to end up targeting things like hedgehogs. 67 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:15,080 Absolutely, yeah. What you want is loads of hedgehogs in your garden. 68 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:17,000 So, who have we got here? 69 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:18,800 We have a little hedgehog called Maggie. 70 00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:20,560 She doesn't know she's called Maggie, 71 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:22,920 but that's what we call her cos they all have names here. 72 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,400 She came in not in great shape, but now is in fabulous shape. 73 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:27,480 This is the shape that a hedgehog should be. 74 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,560 It is that perfect spherical ball 75 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,840 of bristling wonderment that is, kind of, how a hedgehog should look. 76 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,320 That's right. But here we've got the other side of the story, haven't we? 77 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:41,000 This little guy's called Luca and you can see he's a lot thinner. 78 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,040 He's fully grown, but he's, kind of, more like 79 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,520 a rugby ball shape than a round shape. 80 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:50,240 If you find a hedgehog, don't assume that he needs relocating. 81 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,120 If he looks like this one, nice and fat and round, leave him alone. 82 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:57,680 If he looks emaciated and a bit poorly, then find a wildlife centre. 83 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:01,840 So it's not just Brian who's fallen for the charms of the humble hog. 84 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,040 All over the country there are people doing their bit 85 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:07,080 to protect nature's gardeners. 86 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,600 While many people dedicate their time to helping the hogs, 87 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:14,360 in Authorpe, Lincolnshire, there's one lady 88 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:16,720 who's devoted her entire life to them. 89 00:04:16,840 --> 00:04:20,080 Elaine Drewery even calls herself 'Grandma Hedgehog. 90 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,960 I have up to 100 hedgehogs in at any time. 91 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,160 So they start off in the house. 92 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:28,840 Well, it was a house. 93 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,280 It's now a hedgehog sanctuary, more or less. 94 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:34,840 Um, I just have to live along with them. 95 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:39,080 And in here, they're assessed and diagnosed. 96 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:42,080 So it doesn't look a lot like a house any more. 97 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:44,560 I have hedgehogs in the spare bedroom, the bathroom. 98 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:46,280 This is the television room. 99 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:51,160 Was. And it now serves as intensive care for the hedgehogs, a pharmacy, 100 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:53,720 but it's all right. I don't mind. 101 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:55,240 I like the company of hedgehogs. 102 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,120 I'm absolutely, er, addicted to them. 103 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:00,960 Elaine rehabilitates sick and injured hedgehogs 104 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:03,640 for eventual release back into the wild, 105 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:06,000 but due to their nocturnal nature, 106 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:09,640 she often sacrifices her sleep to care for her brood. 107 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:14,400 In a lot of cases, their life depends on my sitting up all night. 108 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,160 That's why I look like this, you know, I'm only 21. 109 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:22,080 And I often don't go to bed for, you know, weeks on end. 110 00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:25,960 You get to think like a hedgehog, really, I suppose. 111 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:28,840 I don't think like a human any more. 112 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:31,440 I think I see the world from a hedgehog's eyes 113 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:33,400 and it helps to understand them. 114 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:36,320 I love them to bits, but hedgehogs aren't affectionate, 115 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:37,760 and if they had any affection, 116 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,280 it certainly wouldn't be extended to Nurse Elaine. 117 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:43,480 It's not just the cost to Elaine's sleep. 118 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,240 She relies on her pension and donations 119 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:49,600 to care for hundreds of prickly pals every year. 120 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:54,000 We usually have about 50 or 60 hedgehogs in here 121 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:57,760 and this little chap was badly strimmed. 122 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:01,200 Many of the hedgehogs under Elaine's care have had 123 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:04,600 excruciating encounters with a common garden tool. 124 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:07,120 Their spines are no match for strimmers 125 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:11,280 which can cause horrendous and potentially fatal injuries. 126 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:14,520 So, to avoid casualties, check for wildlife 127 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,000 before strimming your bush, hedge or lawn. 128 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:20,320 His nose has been strimmed. 129 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:22,280 It couldn't have been much worse than it was. 130 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:24,760 It was hanging off. But with his nose hanging off, 131 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:27,120 he was trying to eat some dinner and I thought, 132 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:31,320 "Well, if he's going to fight for his life, I'll help him." 133 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:36,320 Another victim of the strimmer hazard is Russel. 134 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:39,320 This little chap's got quite a story to tell. 135 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:41,840 Somebody delivered him to be put to sleep 136 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:44,400 because he looked like a skinned rabbit, 137 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:45,960 but it was so newly done, 138 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:49,080 we sent him off to the vet's to be stitched back together. 139 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,040 His prickles were down each side 140 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:53,680 like somebody's pants around their ankles. 141 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:55,880 But they sewed him together too tight 142 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,120 which means that his prickles, instead of being round him, 143 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,120 are like a beret perched on the top. 144 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:03,840 No way can he, um... 145 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:08,040 ..um, protect himself. He can't get into a ball. 146 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:12,440 No way could he go back out into the wild. 147 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:16,240 We have to put notices on to any helpers, um, 148 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:21,160 not to overfeed him cos he's too big already for his skin. 149 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:23,880 But, um, I'm afraid he's a favourite. 150 00:07:31,620 --> 00:07:33,500 To celebrate our prickly neighbour, 151 00:07:33,580 --> 00:07:34,740 the humble hedgehog, 152 00:07:34,860 --> 00:07:36,780 we are travelling the country meeting people 153 00:07:36,900 --> 00:07:40,820 who have dedicated their lives to helping out the humble hog. 154 00:07:40,940 --> 00:07:44,020 Well, I've planted myself here at the Amazing Grace Rescue Centre 155 00:07:44,140 --> 00:07:46,380 to get a sense of the challenges they face. 156 00:07:46,500 --> 00:07:50,460 The centre rescues around 750 hedgehogs every year 157 00:07:50,580 --> 00:07:54,300 and one lady who's crucial to helping them is Anne Brummer. 158 00:07:54,420 --> 00:07:57,940 She's hands on with the hogs, giving them around-the-clock care. 159 00:07:58,060 --> 00:08:01,020 Today I'm going to help Anne treat Kester for lungworm 160 00:08:01,140 --> 00:08:04,980 and Layla for ringworm - both common problems for hogs. 161 00:08:05,100 --> 00:08:07,340 Hi, Anne. How're you doing? Hi, Steve. How are you? 162 00:08:07,460 --> 00:08:09,420 Very well. Very well. Where is the patient? 163 00:08:09,500 --> 00:08:11,380 Kester is just here. 164 00:08:11,500 --> 00:08:14,180 And what do we know about this little fella? 165 00:08:14,300 --> 00:08:17,340 Well, he came in after a road traffic accident. 166 00:08:17,460 --> 00:08:19,980 But if you...if you listen carefully, 167 00:08:20,100 --> 00:08:22,140 you can hear he's got a bit of a wheeze. 168 00:08:22,260 --> 00:08:24,740 She's just doing this to make me look silly. 169 00:08:24,860 --> 00:08:27,660 You're asking me to listen to a hedgehog? 170 00:08:27,740 --> 00:08:29,660 But look, listen. It's like a shell. 171 00:08:29,740 --> 00:08:31,660 So, can you hear? 172 00:08:31,780 --> 00:08:33,740 He's got, like, a little bit of a crackle. 173 00:08:33,860 --> 00:08:36,100 Maybe I haven't quite got my ear in yet. 174 00:08:37,780 --> 00:08:39,580 So, what do we think that wheeze is caused by? 175 00:08:39,700 --> 00:08:42,140 It's caused by lungworm. It's fluids that are in the lungs. 176 00:08:42,260 --> 00:08:45,020 So in the long term, that would just fill up and it would suffocate him. 177 00:08:45,140 --> 00:08:47,380 Going to give him a couple of injections which he won't be 178 00:08:47,500 --> 00:08:49,740 over-enamoured with. Would you like me to hold him? 179 00:08:49,860 --> 00:08:51,940 Yeah, if you can hold him. OK. Are you OK there? 180 00:08:52,060 --> 00:08:54,420 I'm just going to get him in the back here. 181 00:08:54,540 --> 00:08:58,020 He won't feel them. They're, um, very thin needles. 182 00:08:58,140 --> 00:09:00,820 Well, this one is a properly hyperactive hedgehog. 183 00:09:00,900 --> 00:09:02,780 Very busy. I can't keep him still! 184 00:09:02,900 --> 00:09:04,860 Maybe we should move to our next patient? Yeah. 185 00:09:04,980 --> 00:09:07,540 We'll move to our next patient who might be a little quieter. 186 00:09:07,620 --> 00:09:08,860 Ah, this is much bigger. 187 00:09:08,980 --> 00:09:11,620 Yes, and Layla is a lot less tolerant. 188 00:09:12,820 --> 00:09:14,420 A lot less tolerant. A lot more huffy. 189 00:09:14,540 --> 00:09:17,500 Yeah. So, and that's, kind of, a defence thing and you can see 190 00:09:17,620 --> 00:09:20,540 the spines are turning out quite sharply. 191 00:09:20,660 --> 00:09:22,740 Oh, now that one I can hear breathing. 192 00:09:22,860 --> 00:09:24,620 Yes. That's quite an angry breath, isn't it? 193 00:09:24,700 --> 00:09:26,180 Yeah, it is an angry breath. 194 00:09:26,260 --> 00:09:27,820 That is definitely angry hedgehog. 195 00:09:27,900 --> 00:09:29,100 WHEEZING 196 00:09:29,220 --> 00:09:31,860 What an amazing sound! Isn't that incredible? 197 00:09:31,980 --> 00:09:34,340 It's really cool, isn't it? I have never heard that before. 198 00:09:34,460 --> 00:09:37,340 All of a sudden it doesn't seem quite so helpless any more, does it? 199 00:09:37,460 --> 00:09:40,100 So, what's the plan? We're going to put her in there upside down. 200 00:09:40,260 --> 00:09:43,020 Are we going to bath a hedgehog? Yes, we are going to bath a hedgehog. 201 00:09:43,140 --> 00:09:45,180 Oh, do you know what? I love my job so much. 202 00:09:45,300 --> 00:09:47,260 It's going to be tricky cos she's going to jump, 203 00:09:47,380 --> 00:09:50,540 because obviously she doesn't get that this is a good thing for her. 204 00:09:50,660 --> 00:09:53,780 So, why are we giving this girl a bath? 205 00:09:53,900 --> 00:09:57,100 She has ringworm. So she came in with lots of her spines missing 206 00:09:57,220 --> 00:09:59,100 and patches where the spines had fallen out. 207 00:09:59,180 --> 00:10:00,740 And what's in this bath? 208 00:10:00,860 --> 00:10:04,020 It's Imaverol and it kills off... Ringworms live on the surface, 209 00:10:04,140 --> 00:10:08,180 they don't live deep in the skin, so it's quite easy to resolve. 210 00:10:08,300 --> 00:10:11,420 And, of course, hedgehogs don't really have any aversion to water. 211 00:10:11,540 --> 00:10:14,580 I mean, they can swim, can't they? They swim incredibly well. 212 00:10:14,700 --> 00:10:18,460 In fact, in the wild, hogs have even been known to cross rivers, 213 00:10:18,580 --> 00:10:21,980 but if you do have a pond or a swimming pool in your garden, 214 00:10:22,100 --> 00:10:25,540 make sure you have an escape route to prevent them from drowning. 215 00:10:25,660 --> 00:10:28,380 Well, if her attitude is anything to go by, 216 00:10:28,500 --> 00:10:31,140 then this one's going to be a fighter, isn't she? 217 00:10:31,260 --> 00:10:34,260 Definitely. That's one of the things on release, with all the animals, 218 00:10:34,380 --> 00:10:36,700 you want to see them removing themselves away from you 219 00:10:36,780 --> 00:10:38,380 and being scared of humans. Yeah. 220 00:10:38,500 --> 00:10:41,260 And you need to see that fight and that desire inside them, 221 00:10:41,380 --> 00:10:44,860 then you know you've got a pretty healthy animal to go back out there. 222 00:10:44,980 --> 00:10:49,540 So we're going to try and open her up just a little bit. 223 00:10:49,660 --> 00:10:51,900 See if we can make her a little less grumpy. 224 00:10:51,980 --> 00:10:53,020 Come on, grumpy. 225 00:10:54,220 --> 00:10:56,380 While we attempt to cheer Layla up, 226 00:10:56,500 --> 00:10:59,540 in the Hertfordshire countryside, there's a special hog 227 00:10:59,660 --> 00:11:01,900 who some may think has a right to be grumpy. 228 00:11:01,980 --> 00:11:03,860 Meet Derek. 229 00:11:03,980 --> 00:11:06,620 He's lost all of his signature spines 230 00:11:06,740 --> 00:11:10,340 and this is his devoted carer, Monique Blackford. 231 00:11:10,460 --> 00:11:13,740 He looks all rough and bobbly, but actually it feels 232 00:11:13,820 --> 00:11:15,580 like silk when you touch him. 233 00:11:15,660 --> 00:11:17,300 Like a baby's bottom. 234 00:11:17,420 --> 00:11:21,700 He's got very curly nails which I have to trim. 235 00:11:21,820 --> 00:11:24,820 Derek hasn't always been so peculiar. 236 00:11:24,940 --> 00:11:28,740 He was a regular-looking hedgehog before a nasty incident. 237 00:11:28,860 --> 00:11:33,660 He had an injury where it looks like he'd been attacked by a crow 238 00:11:33,780 --> 00:11:36,620 and this injury was covered by the spines. 239 00:11:38,060 --> 00:11:39,700 It took several attempts, 240 00:11:39,820 --> 00:11:42,620 took different antibiotics to get the wound to heal 241 00:11:42,740 --> 00:11:45,980 and then in mid-December, his spines started falling out. 242 00:11:46,060 --> 00:11:48,140 By February, he hardly had any 243 00:11:48,260 --> 00:11:51,900 and he's losing the pigment from his nose and his feet. 244 00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:54,940 They're all going pink now. 245 00:11:55,060 --> 00:11:58,820 We had a skin biopsy done for him in 2016 246 00:11:58,940 --> 00:12:02,460 and that showed that it was a hormonal problem, 247 00:12:02,580 --> 00:12:06,500 possibly linked to stress, environmental stress, 248 00:12:06,620 --> 00:12:10,380 because a hedgehog should be roaming miles a night and foraging. 249 00:12:12,940 --> 00:12:15,780 In an attempt to get Derek's spines to grow back, 250 00:12:15,900 --> 00:12:19,380 Monique has constructed a hedgehog playpen in her spare room, 251 00:12:19,460 --> 00:12:21,900 but this isn't Derek's only perk. 252 00:12:22,020 --> 00:12:25,780 I was giving him massages with coconut oil 253 00:12:25,860 --> 00:12:28,060 to try and stimulate hair growth 254 00:12:28,140 --> 00:12:30,340 and now, because he's indoors, 255 00:12:30,460 --> 00:12:34,140 to stop his skin getting dry from the heat, 256 00:12:34,220 --> 00:12:36,700 once a week I put almond oil on him. 257 00:12:36,820 --> 00:12:39,740 But if I do it for too long, he starts bucking. 258 00:12:44,300 --> 00:12:47,380 Derek used to have a full complement of spines. 259 00:12:47,460 --> 00:12:50,420 An adult can have up to 7,000. 260 00:12:50,540 --> 00:12:53,540 They're stiffened with keratin, much like our fingernails, 261 00:12:53,620 --> 00:12:55,820 and sprout just hours after birth. 262 00:12:55,900 --> 00:12:58,860 Each spine lasts around a year, 263 00:12:58,980 --> 00:13:01,420 then drops out, and a replacement grows. 264 00:13:02,620 --> 00:13:04,820 This thick and spiny coat provides 265 00:13:04,940 --> 00:13:07,820 an awesome layer of protection and defence. 266 00:13:07,940 --> 00:13:10,380 If alerted to danger, they'll curl up 267 00:13:10,500 --> 00:13:13,420 and protect their soft, furry stomach. 268 00:13:13,500 --> 00:13:14,740 Without this armour, 269 00:13:14,860 --> 00:13:17,740 it's too dangerous for Derek to return to the wild. 270 00:13:17,860 --> 00:13:21,220 So Monique has come up with the next-best solution - 271 00:13:21,340 --> 00:13:24,820 a trip to the bird-proof fruit cage in her garden. 272 00:13:24,940 --> 00:13:28,820 Because he's bald, he's vulnerable to owls at night. 273 00:13:28,940 --> 00:13:31,500 This is the sort of area that Derek will have 274 00:13:31,620 --> 00:13:34,180 where he can do natural hedgy-hog things. 275 00:13:37,260 --> 00:13:40,260 Derek looks a little bit like a hippo with no spines. 276 00:13:41,620 --> 00:13:44,380 He can't keep warm like a normal hedgehog. 277 00:13:46,340 --> 00:13:48,260 Obviously when the nights get colder again, 278 00:13:48,340 --> 00:13:50,020 I'll be bringing him back in, 279 00:13:50,140 --> 00:13:52,900 but hopefully he'll have a good few months out here. 280 00:13:54,620 --> 00:13:56,700 When he spends time out here during the summer, 281 00:13:56,820 --> 00:14:00,380 there's every chance that maybe his spines will grow back. 282 00:14:11,380 --> 00:14:12,660 Back at the rescue centre, 283 00:14:12,780 --> 00:14:15,540 Anne's got word of a hedgehog that needs urgent help. 284 00:14:16,700 --> 00:14:19,740 We've just had a call from a lady who's found a hedgehog, 285 00:14:19,860 --> 00:14:22,220 so we're just going to go and pick it up from her 286 00:14:22,300 --> 00:14:23,940 and find out some more details. 287 00:14:24,060 --> 00:14:26,860 The lady's told me that she found it out when she was walking her dog 288 00:14:26,980 --> 00:14:30,460 in the daytime and it was on the side of the road just slumped over. 289 00:14:30,580 --> 00:14:33,700 The fact that it was out in the day is quite a serious issue. 290 00:14:33,820 --> 00:14:36,660 Jenny Whitting found the hedgehog yesterday. 291 00:14:36,740 --> 00:14:38,940 There you are, darling. Hello. 292 00:14:39,060 --> 00:14:41,980 She's been keeping it warm, well fed and watered. 293 00:14:43,660 --> 00:14:45,780 Hello, Anne. Hi, Jenny. How are you? 294 00:14:45,860 --> 00:14:47,420 OK, let's take a look at you. 295 00:14:47,500 --> 00:14:49,180 Bless him. Look. 296 00:14:49,300 --> 00:14:53,020 Oh, yes. You can see the spines are a bit slow at responding. 297 00:14:53,140 --> 00:14:55,020 Yes. So that suggests he's dehydrated. 298 00:14:55,140 --> 00:14:57,900 There's a tick there and a couple of ticks on the inside. Oh! 299 00:14:58,020 --> 00:14:59,820 Also got a foot that's caught there. Oh, really? 300 00:14:59,940 --> 00:15:02,380 I don't know whether there's anything happened to his foot 301 00:15:02,500 --> 00:15:06,140 but we'll look as soon as we manage to uncurl him. Oh, bless him. 302 00:15:06,220 --> 00:15:07,580 And the size of the spines, 303 00:15:07,700 --> 00:15:09,940 I can tell that this is a late baby from last year. 304 00:15:10,060 --> 00:15:12,460 Probably September-October time, it would've been born. 305 00:15:12,580 --> 00:15:14,460 Really? So not a very good start in life, 306 00:15:14,580 --> 00:15:16,340 but actually done well to survive the winter. 307 00:15:16,460 --> 00:15:19,300 Well, thank God for people like you. Thank you very much. Thank you. 308 00:15:19,380 --> 00:15:20,740 I love them. 309 00:15:25,020 --> 00:15:27,820 Anne cares for hundreds of animals every year, 310 00:15:27,940 --> 00:15:31,860 so knows that the little hog's unresponsiveness is serious. 311 00:15:31,980 --> 00:15:34,700 And back at the centre, it needs urgent rehydration. 312 00:15:34,820 --> 00:15:37,980 OK. So I'm putting subcutaneous fluids into his body now. 313 00:15:38,060 --> 00:15:39,700 It's a really fine syringe. 314 00:15:39,820 --> 00:15:42,820 It's a 1ml syringe because he's quite tiny still. 315 00:15:42,940 --> 00:15:45,460 And it just literally goes under the skin, 316 00:15:45,580 --> 00:15:49,060 but it'll give him vital fluids into his body. 317 00:15:49,180 --> 00:15:52,060 Rehydration is essential for all our wildlife. 318 00:15:52,140 --> 00:15:53,620 Once they go into shock, 319 00:15:53,740 --> 00:15:56,900 all their vital organs are protected by the little energy that they have 320 00:15:57,020 --> 00:15:58,700 and it wouldn't enable them to repair. 321 00:15:58,820 --> 00:16:02,100 By rehydrating them, we get the body back to functioning normally 322 00:16:02,180 --> 00:16:03,980 and then it enables them to recover. 323 00:16:04,100 --> 00:16:07,220 Then we can look at any other issues that might be underlying, 324 00:16:07,340 --> 00:16:09,580 but first of all we've got to stabilise him. 325 00:16:09,660 --> 00:16:11,100 We're doing everything we can, 326 00:16:11,220 --> 00:16:13,140 so let's hope that he does pull through. 327 00:16:18,020 --> 00:16:20,100 All hedgehogs are precious. 328 00:16:20,220 --> 00:16:23,420 Once flourishing, hogs are now in serious decline. 329 00:16:23,500 --> 00:16:24,860 They've been around for longer 330 00:16:24,980 --> 00:16:27,300 than the sabre-toothed tiger and woolly mammoths, 331 00:16:27,380 --> 00:16:28,980 so they're tough little creatures 332 00:16:29,100 --> 00:16:31,340 that deserve to be here for many years to come. 333 00:16:31,460 --> 00:16:34,220 But they need help and in Regent's Park, 334 00:16:34,340 --> 00:16:36,940 Clare Bowen from the Royal Parks Foundation 335 00:16:37,060 --> 00:16:40,500 is fronting a team of over 100 volunteers to help the hogs. 336 00:16:40,580 --> 00:16:42,460 Tonight, I'm lending a hand. 337 00:16:43,780 --> 00:16:46,860 It's about now that they really should be thinking of coming out, 338 00:16:46,940 --> 00:16:48,460 looking for food and foraging. 339 00:16:48,580 --> 00:16:50,620 So let's head this way and walk north 340 00:16:50,740 --> 00:16:53,060 towards the top of the park. Fantastic. 341 00:16:53,180 --> 00:16:57,020 To help us find the hogs, we're using a thermal imaging camera 342 00:16:57,100 --> 00:16:59,380 and keeping tabs on them is crucial. 343 00:16:59,500 --> 00:17:03,180 Hedgehogs were once a common sight in all central London parks, 344 00:17:03,300 --> 00:17:06,180 but now there's just one breeding population left 345 00:17:06,300 --> 00:17:08,900 that we're looking for here in Regent's Park. 346 00:17:09,020 --> 00:17:12,100 So what do we know already about the population of hedgehogs 347 00:17:12,220 --> 00:17:15,900 here at Regent's Park? Well, we've been surveying them for four years, 348 00:17:16,020 --> 00:17:21,140 and in the very first year we were pleased to find around 50 animals 349 00:17:21,260 --> 00:17:23,900 distributed in several hot spots throughout the park. 350 00:17:24,020 --> 00:17:27,380 And 50 animals? Is that a healthy amount to have here, do you think? 351 00:17:27,500 --> 00:17:30,500 It's still really quite a small number, er, to be honest, 352 00:17:30,620 --> 00:17:33,900 and a park this size could sustain many more animals. 353 00:17:33,980 --> 00:17:35,500 Oh, hang on. 354 00:17:35,580 --> 00:17:37,380 What is that? 355 00:17:37,500 --> 00:17:39,420 Moving towards the bottom of that tree. 356 00:17:39,540 --> 00:17:41,780 See that little dot moving right to left? 357 00:17:41,900 --> 00:17:44,060 Oh, yeah. That's quite fast. Too fast for a hedgehog. 358 00:17:44,140 --> 00:17:45,700 It's probably a cat? Or a fox. 359 00:17:45,820 --> 00:17:48,540 Or a fox? Yeah. Nice to know there is wildlife 360 00:17:48,620 --> 00:17:50,260 in London's parks though. 361 00:17:50,380 --> 00:17:53,620 In Clare's survey, when hedgehogs were found, 362 00:17:53,740 --> 00:17:56,900 they each had a small ID tag slipped onto their spines 363 00:17:57,020 --> 00:18:00,020 and some were also fitted with a tracking device. 364 00:18:00,100 --> 00:18:02,380 But tonight, luck is on our side 365 00:18:02,500 --> 00:18:05,060 and all we need is our thermal imaging camera. 366 00:18:06,540 --> 00:18:08,500 Just down here at our feet. 367 00:18:08,620 --> 00:18:11,740 I never, ever tire of finding hedgehogs. 368 00:18:11,820 --> 00:18:14,020 I know. Isn't it wonderful? 369 00:18:14,100 --> 00:18:15,780 It's such a magical moment. 370 00:18:15,900 --> 00:18:17,900 Hey there, little fella. There we go. 371 00:18:17,980 --> 00:18:19,460 Great. First of all, 372 00:18:19,580 --> 00:18:23,100 if we could identify exactly what number is written on that spine. 373 00:18:23,180 --> 00:18:25,420 One-eight-nine. One-eight-nine. 374 00:18:25,500 --> 00:18:27,100 Place it into the bag. 375 00:18:30,820 --> 00:18:33,380 590-ish grams. Yeah. The average weight of hedgehogs 376 00:18:33,500 --> 00:18:36,740 that we've found throughout the year here has been more like 900g. 377 00:18:36,860 --> 00:18:38,740 It's still young. There's still time, 378 00:18:38,860 --> 00:18:40,740 but it could do with fattening up a bit. 379 00:18:40,860 --> 00:18:44,820 I guess it could be that it's just, kind of, come out of hibernation 380 00:18:44,940 --> 00:18:48,340 and still lacking those fat reserves. Yes, absolutely. 381 00:18:49,820 --> 00:18:52,740 Hedgehogs spend, on average, five months in hibernation 382 00:18:52,860 --> 00:18:56,100 to conserve energy during the food shortages of winter. 383 00:18:58,180 --> 00:19:01,740 Their body temperature falls from 35 to 10 degrees. 384 00:19:01,860 --> 00:19:05,020 Their heart rate decreases to less than 20 beats per minute 385 00:19:05,140 --> 00:19:07,460 and an hour can elapse between breaths. 386 00:19:09,460 --> 00:19:11,060 When they emerge from hibernation, 387 00:19:11,180 --> 00:19:14,980 hedgehogs have often lost up to 25% of their body weight. 388 00:19:17,300 --> 00:19:20,580 All these long hours out in the park at night. 389 00:19:20,700 --> 00:19:23,460 How is that helping to actually protect hedgehogs, 390 00:19:23,540 --> 00:19:25,100 like little 189 here? 391 00:19:25,220 --> 00:19:28,060 We've been focusing a lot on the hedgerows in the parks 392 00:19:28,180 --> 00:19:31,540 and, er, rather than mowing right up to the base of the hedgerow, 393 00:19:31,660 --> 00:19:34,940 just leaving a headland of longer grass so that they do have 394 00:19:35,060 --> 00:19:38,300 the opportunity to forage there in, er, relative safety. 395 00:19:38,420 --> 00:19:42,060 The idea really for us is to try and understand more about the population 396 00:19:42,180 --> 00:19:45,460 so that the park managers can adjust the way they do things 397 00:19:45,580 --> 00:19:47,820 and think in a hedgehog-friendly way. 398 00:19:47,940 --> 00:19:50,820 Hopefully this young male will go on to find females 399 00:19:50,940 --> 00:19:53,460 and help repopulate the Regent's Park hogs. 400 00:19:53,580 --> 00:19:55,820 Now, more than ever, babies are vital 401 00:19:55,900 --> 00:19:57,620 to the survival of their species, 402 00:19:57,740 --> 00:20:00,940 so during breeding season at Amazing Grace Rescue Centre, 403 00:20:01,060 --> 00:20:03,380 all the females are given pregnancy scans. 404 00:20:03,500 --> 00:20:09,060 So, in early pregnancy, a baby will basically look like a black circle. 405 00:20:09,140 --> 00:20:11,420 A fluid-filled bag, basically. 406 00:20:11,500 --> 00:20:13,020 I think she might be fat. 407 00:20:13,100 --> 00:20:14,980 That might be my diagnosis. 408 00:20:15,060 --> 00:20:17,500 Ooh, although... Hang on. 409 00:20:17,580 --> 00:20:19,060 That is a baby. 410 00:20:19,140 --> 00:20:21,380 On this screen you can see a couple. 411 00:20:21,500 --> 00:20:24,220 So one, two, possibly three down here. 412 00:20:24,300 --> 00:20:26,060 See, she's not fat! 413 00:20:26,180 --> 00:20:28,980 In the wild, only around half of the babies born 414 00:20:29,100 --> 00:20:33,100 make it to their first year, so if there is a hedgehog with hoglets, 415 00:20:33,220 --> 00:20:35,180 instead of being released into the wild, 416 00:20:35,300 --> 00:20:38,220 they'll go into a safe, enclosed area to give birth. 417 00:20:38,340 --> 00:20:42,460 They'll stay here until both Mum and babies are fit and healthy enough 418 00:20:42,540 --> 00:20:43,780 to return to the wild, 419 00:20:43,900 --> 00:20:47,020 but some babies don't have such a great start in life. 420 00:20:47,140 --> 00:20:48,860 This is Natalie. She came in last night. 421 00:20:48,980 --> 00:20:50,740 She was found under a railway sleeper. 422 00:20:50,860 --> 00:20:54,700 We could see as soon as she came in that she was really badly dehydrated 423 00:20:54,820 --> 00:20:57,980 and probably hadn't seen a mum for at least 24 hours. 424 00:20:58,100 --> 00:21:00,620 Her body had already started to shut down, which means 425 00:21:00,740 --> 00:21:03,980 all the energy in her body would be protecting the vital organs. 426 00:21:04,100 --> 00:21:06,060 She wouldn't have survived another night. 427 00:21:06,180 --> 00:21:08,660 She was very flat and very weak yesterday. 428 00:21:10,860 --> 00:21:12,940 If Natalie had stayed with her mum, 429 00:21:13,060 --> 00:21:16,380 she and her siblings would nurse for around three to four weeks. 430 00:21:16,500 --> 00:21:20,140 Then they'd start heading out on family foraging trips. 431 00:21:20,260 --> 00:21:23,140 Hoglets, like most babies, have bundles of energy, 432 00:21:23,260 --> 00:21:27,660 but Mum only has to put up with the unruliness for around ten days. 433 00:21:27,780 --> 00:21:31,300 Then her teaching is done and the hoglets will go it alone, 434 00:21:31,380 --> 00:21:33,340 leaving her to put her paws up. 435 00:21:35,700 --> 00:21:39,300 But if you can't have Mum, Anne makes a pretty good substitute. 436 00:21:43,220 --> 00:21:46,260 So I'm massaging her a little bit. 437 00:21:46,380 --> 00:21:49,940 Her skin can be quite dry, so this baby oil helps. 438 00:21:51,500 --> 00:21:54,620 But obviously, if it gets dry and flaky, it can be sore. 439 00:21:54,740 --> 00:21:57,940 So it is quite an important thing to do 440 00:21:58,060 --> 00:22:00,900 but it's a little bit of a spa treatment. 441 00:22:02,380 --> 00:22:05,140 So cute and the most beautiful face. 442 00:22:07,460 --> 00:22:09,300 That's one very happy Natalie. 443 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:20,120 Once a familiar sight in British gardens, 444 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,720 it's thought there are now fewer than a million hedgehogs left here. 445 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:26,120 These adorable little creatures are in danger 446 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,640 but there are things that you can do to help them survive. 447 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:30,880 All over the country, 448 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:33,960 hog enthusiasts are doing their bit to protect them, 449 00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:37,200 and rescue centres like Amazing Grace that was set up 450 00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:40,960 by rock legend and British wildlife enthusiast Dr Brian May 451 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:43,080 are essential in helping the hogs. 452 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,240 Do you remember the first time you saw a hedgehog? 453 00:22:45,360 --> 00:22:48,120 Yeah. I used to have hedgehogs around me at home in Feltham. 454 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:50,040 They were quite regular visitors 455 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:53,320 and we used to put a saucer out with milk in it 456 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:55,280 and a bit of bread as well. 457 00:22:55,360 --> 00:22:56,640 Which...which I know... 458 00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:59,280 which we now know is totally the wrong thing to do. 459 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:01,440 Please don't listen to a word he's saying here. 460 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:03,000 Do not give your hedgehogs milk. 461 00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:05,840 Don't do this. Yeah. Turns out hedgehogs are lactose intolerant. 462 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:08,920 It's worth saying these things. What should people give them instead? 463 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:12,320 You can put cat food out or dog food, or nuts and raisins and stuff, 464 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:14,800 Anything healthy. I think it's good to put some food out 465 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:16,920 because they're in trouble, these creatures. 466 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:20,200 They need a bit of help. These guys have been around much longer 467 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:22,160 than humans in the British Isles. 468 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:24,520 You know, 15 million years you're talking about. 469 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:28,200 Way, way longer than us, so they have a very, very good right 470 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:30,560 to be here and to thrive, I would say. 471 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,320 There are 16 species of hedgehog. 472 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:35,880 Those native to the UK are the European hogs 473 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:39,680 and they're the only spiny mammal found in Great Britain. 474 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:41,440 Driven by their sense of smell, 475 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:45,840 these little creatures can climb and run surprisingly fast. 476 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:47,680 We're talking 6mph, 477 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:51,240 but this isn't always quick enough to escape danger. 478 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:53,160 PHONE RINGS 479 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:55,040 Hello, Amazing Grace. 480 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:58,000 At the rescue centre, Natalie has received a call 481 00:23:58,120 --> 00:24:00,720 about a hedgehog with a severely damaged leg 482 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:02,680 that needs urgent medical attention. 483 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:05,600 The veterinary practice is just up the road 484 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:09,560 and all the vet's time and care is given for free. 485 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:11,240 Richard is ready and waiting. 486 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,600 Hi, Richard. Hiya. So I've got my little hedgehog. 487 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:18,960 OK. She was found in a lady's garden. 488 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:20,480 She brought her in this morning. 489 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:23,280 Um, she said she was eating but she hasn't eaten with us, 490 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:26,000 so I don't really know if she's eating or not. OK. 491 00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:29,680 The leg is either dislocated or broken, but we're not quite sure. 492 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:33,000 Yeah. She's got a puncture wound and we're presuming it's really infected 493 00:24:33,120 --> 00:24:35,360 cos it's so swollen, and it's really hard. 494 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:37,640 OK. So it's very swollen. 495 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:39,560 It could be trauma. It could be a bite. 496 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:42,280 Our guess and our fear would be a dog or a fox or something 497 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:44,200 which would potentially cause a break 498 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:46,480 or a fight between rival hedgehogs. 499 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:50,200 I'm just going to put a needle in there to see what we do get back. 500 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:52,760 And there we go. 501 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:55,880 So it just looks like a large abscess. 502 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,480 I'm really shocked. I was convinced it was going to be broken 503 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,400 so that's, kind of, the best possible outcome really, 504 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:03,560 cos sometimes it just isn't a happy ending. 505 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:05,640 So it's nice to, kind of, think the worst 506 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:07,520 and then actually be proven wrong. 507 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:09,000 It's quite a large abscess, 508 00:25:09,120 --> 00:25:11,160 there's going to be quite a bit of pus. Yeah. 509 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:13,680 When Richard says "quite a bit of pus", 510 00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:16,560 what he actually means is loads of it, 511 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:19,560 so if you're a bit squeamish, then look away now. 512 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,520 Perfect. And it doesn't smell particularly pleasant. 513 00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:33,760 I'm afraid there's a lot more still to come. 514 00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:36,200 Er, you'd hope she'd survive in the wild. 515 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:38,640 You'd hope this would rupture of its own accord and drain, 516 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:41,160 and her immune system would be able to fight things off, 517 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:43,680 but you would be worried about how debilitated she is. 518 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:46,480 Whether she can get around. Whether she starts to get a bit toxic. 519 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:48,200 We're here to, kind of, speed that up. 520 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:50,720 You know, they are able to cope with a lot. 521 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:52,920 Much more than our, kind of, pets tend to do. 522 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:54,360 I think that'll about do. Yeah? 523 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:57,440 We'll start some antibiotics and you can continue the pain relief. 524 00:25:57,560 --> 00:25:59,800 Yeah. Brilliant. She seems in pretty good condition 525 00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:03,320 apart from the abscess and I'd be hopeful she'd make a pretty quick and full recovery. 526 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:06,320 Thank you. She'll come straight back with me. 527 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,240 When this little girl is well enough, 528 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:11,640 she'll be taken into an outside enclosure at the centre 529 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:14,120 to prepare her for life back in the wild, 530 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:17,320 but sadly this isn't the case for all rescued hedgehogs. 531 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:21,800 In the New Forest in Hampshire, meet Moonbeam. 532 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:24,720 We've discovered that she's totally blind. 533 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:27,920 When we try and get close to her eyes, 534 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,240 there's no response whatsoever. 535 00:26:30,360 --> 00:26:34,840 Leander Johnson rehabilitates hedgehogs in the back of her garage 536 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:37,480 and Moonbeam arrived five months ago. 537 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:40,200 She was brought in by a member of the public 538 00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:42,480 who found her in a fence-post hole 539 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,560 and it was probably about a two-foot hole, um, 540 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:48,320 so it was quite a severe drop for a hedgehog. 541 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:50,680 She'd been down there probably some days. 542 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:55,320 So she came in with quite severe neurological damage. 543 00:26:55,440 --> 00:26:58,400 Um, she was doing a really drastic shake. 544 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:00,760 She was a pretty lost cause. 545 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,400 That night I thought she was going to have to go to the vet 546 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:05,360 and it would not be a good ending, 547 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:08,520 but we gave her painkillers and some fluids, 548 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:10,880 and the next morning she was a little bit better 549 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:12,680 and she's just done amazingly. 550 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:16,240 Not knowing whether it's day or night means Moonbeam is active 551 00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:19,840 during the day, leaving her extra vulnerable to predators. 552 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:22,360 So what we've got to do is, um, 553 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:24,800 is release her into an enclosed garden 554 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:28,000 so that she can have a bit of the wild life 555 00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:31,160 and be out of a box, um, but she's enclosed 556 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:34,000 so that somebody can really take care of her and look after her. 557 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:35,640 She's definitely ready to go. 558 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:40,680 Moonbeam might be blind, but all hedgehogs have limited vision. 559 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:43,160 They can see outlines of objects like trees 560 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:45,520 and recognise landmarks and buildings. 561 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:48,920 For hedgehogs, though, it's all about their sharp hearing 562 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,280 and keen sense of smell. 563 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:56,640 Their moist noses can detect dinner, as well as danger, at a distance. 564 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:02,280 Moonbeam is already sniffing out her new outdoor enclosure 565 00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:04,680 in the back garden of volunteer Jenny. 566 00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:09,120 What she's doing now is literally... Her nose is going mental. 567 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:11,480 So she's kind of just scent-mapping, 568 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:14,720 and this is awesome because we never get to see this bit 569 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:16,480 because it's always at dusk. 570 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:19,000 Yeah, yeah. When she arrived 571 00:28:19,120 --> 00:28:22,720 and she was this little ball of tremors and... 572 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:26,840 it was awful to watch and now she's come to this amazing space 573 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:28,680 and she's going to love it. 574 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:31,440 She's having so much fun, so it's... it's just amazing. 575 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:38,320 Years ago, it was common to spot a hedgehog in your garden, 576 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:43,400 but now it's thought nearly half of us have never seen one on our lawn. 577 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:47,560 But encouraging hedgehogs to visit is easier than you might think. 578 00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:51,960 Ali North is one of only four hedgehog officers in the UK 579 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:55,280 and an expert on making gardens hedgehog-friendly. 580 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:58,160 Hedgehogs are undergoing really concerning declines 581 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:00,680 but managing gardens for wildlife, for hedgehogs, 582 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:04,320 is a really easy way that we can try and improve the situation for them. 583 00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:07,440 So you can see there's, um, some nice log piles 584 00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:10,400 which are going to be great for encouraging all the invertebrates 585 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:12,200 that hedgehogs are going to be eating. 586 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:14,680 And you can pile them up in a sort of quite jumbled way 587 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:17,480 and they can also be really good for their nesting as well, 588 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:19,960 cos hedgehogs like to have that sort of structure 589 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:21,400 to build their nests under. 590 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:25,080 Solid fences and walls are a factor in hedgehog decline 591 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:29,200 as they block hogs from roaming the distances they need to forage for food. 592 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:31,920 So you can see here a hole in the fence, 593 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:33,800 labelled with a hedgehog highway plaque 594 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:35,880 and this is one of the most important things 595 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:37,680 everyone can do to help hedgehogs. 596 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:41,560 Because an average hedgehog might roam 597 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:43,840 a couple of kilometres in a night, 598 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:46,720 so they really do need access to lots of people's gardens. 599 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:52,720 There's loads of ways you can make sure hedgehogs can get in. 600 00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:54,520 So just lots of different access points. 601 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,480 So gaps under gates, for example, are another really easy way 602 00:29:57,600 --> 00:30:00,360 of ensuring they can actually get in to your garden. 603 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:03,760 One of the biggest threats to hedgehogs 604 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:05,960 is commonplace in many of our gardens. 605 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:08,200 Chemicals, pesticides, slug pellets, 606 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:11,320 things like that are generally going to be pretty bad for hedgehogs 607 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:13,680 because they are killing all the invertebrates 608 00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:16,200 that they are relying on. 609 00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:18,920 Avoiding those is definitely going to help them. 610 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:23,320 So ensuring that they do have access to gardens, um, 611 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:26,360 and having these, er, wild areas that are going to, er, 612 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:29,000 be creating feeding and nesting habitats for them 613 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:30,840 is an amazing and a really easy way 614 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:34,400 for everyone to help our local hedgehog populations. 615 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:40,120 Back with the Amazing Grace team, there's good news. 616 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:44,000 The little hog that Anne rescued yesterday made it through the night 617 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:46,360 and they've been able to tell that it's a boy. 618 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:48,920 Right, this is the little fella we picked up yesterday 619 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:50,280 and we've named him Claude. 620 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:51,920 His prickles are a lot calmer now. 621 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:54,720 As you can see, as soon as you stroke him, 622 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:57,200 he's unfolding, then curling. 623 00:30:57,280 --> 00:30:58,920 Quite cute, isn't he? 624 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:01,960 And you can see his little beady eyes if you look in there. 625 00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:04,720 We still have a problem with his front paw 626 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:06,640 so we're going to pop him into the vet's 627 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:09,360 and have him X-rayed to see what's going on there, 628 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:12,080 but in every other way he's looking really well. 629 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:14,120 He's beautifully round now, so we've lost 630 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:17,240 all that sunken impression that we had here and all the dents. 631 00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:20,480 So that is one healthy little hog, so I'm quite pleased really. 632 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:22,200 Claude is doing really well. 633 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:25,080 With such a good response to his initial treatment, 634 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:27,760 Anne wants to take Claude to the vet's right away 635 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:29,840 so his leg can also get sorted. 636 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:31,880 Hi, Gill. Hello. How are you? 637 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,440 Good. What've we got? I have here a hedgehog. 638 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:36,280 Mm-hm. His name is Claude. 639 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:39,760 There seems to be an issue with his feet. OK. 640 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:41,040 Has he eaten as well? 641 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:43,920 He did eat yesterday, yeah, but only a small amount. 642 00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:48,080 So his jaw looks fine. 643 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:53,640 They quite often get injuries to their eyes and ears as well. 644 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:55,360 He's got a couple of ticks there. Yeah. 645 00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:57,720 And there's some small ones just around his eyes. 646 00:31:57,800 --> 00:31:59,400 Yeah, he's covered in ticks. 647 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:03,840 Ticks can be a real problem when there's a lot of them anyway 648 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:06,320 cos they suck blood, so they can cause anaemia 649 00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:08,440 and debilitating disease, basically. 650 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:11,400 So we'll just try and get all of these off him. 651 00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:15,600 Um, it's a bit fiddly cos these are tiny ones. 652 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:21,200 OK, we're just going to go through and feel down each one of the legs 653 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:24,040 really, and make sure that all the joints articulate correctly 654 00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:25,840 and there's no obvious fractures. 655 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:27,560 It feels fine. 656 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:30,200 Um, it's the left one you're worried about, yeah? 657 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:33,000 Yeah, it is, but he's not moving properly at the front 658 00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:34,760 and I did wonder about both of them. 659 00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:36,160 He was found by the side of the road 660 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:38,000 so he could have been tumbled or something. 661 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:41,760 There does look like there's some redness over both of his elbows. 662 00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:43,160 Um, maybe just bruising. 663 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:48,720 Um, but, yeah, I think let's take X-rays of the whole body and see. 664 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:51,240 If Claude did take a tumble from a car, 665 00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:55,040 having just a damaged leg makes him one lucky hog. 666 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:56,960 Road traffic accidents claim 667 00:32:57,080 --> 00:33:00,080 tens of thousands of hedgehog lives every year. 668 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:02,000 OK. So this is his good leg. 669 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:03,640 This is his bad leg. 670 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:06,440 Um, I think there is a little fracture line here... Yeah. 671 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:08,480 ..in the ulna of his bad leg, 672 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:11,680 but it's well aligned, and I'd be inclined 673 00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:16,640 just to cage-rest him and put him on painkillers and let it heal. 674 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:18,720 We can use some of the dog and cat drugs that we use 675 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:20,120 and they're really effective. 676 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:22,840 These creatures are amazingly robust. 677 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:24,640 I mean, they just get on with it, 678 00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:27,480 but, yeah, we'll make sure he's comfortable. Bless him. 679 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:38,960 As night falls over Amazing Grace, the hedgehogs' day begins. 680 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:43,080 A good scoff is high on a hog's agenda 681 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:46,520 and their forever-twitching nose can sniff dinner out 682 00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:48,920 3cm below the surface. 683 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:52,040 If they're lucky, they can chomp their way 684 00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:54,200 through 100 caterpillars a night. 685 00:33:54,320 --> 00:33:57,640 This chap, however, has love on his mind. 686 00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:02,040 He circles the female, making snorting and puffing noises, 687 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:05,680 and gives her the odd nudge, all in an attempt to woo her. 688 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:13,240 But she's going to make Casanova work hard for her attentions. 689 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:15,400 It's going to be a long old night for him. 690 00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:22,600 If you want to watch a hedgehog's secret life, 691 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:24,200 you need to stay up late, 692 00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:27,600 and Anne does just that in the bottom of her garden. 693 00:34:27,720 --> 00:34:30,920 Anne's rigged her garden with cameras and she camps out 694 00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:34,040 in her garage watching what the hedgehogs get up to. 695 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:36,920 Oh, look at this. 696 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:38,480 Come and join me. Take a seat. 697 00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:41,360 You've got your own hog-spotting hideaway. 698 00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:43,120 Oh, thank you. My own bucket. 699 00:34:43,240 --> 00:34:46,040 Perfect. Doesn't everyone do this at night? 700 00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:47,520 Um, no. 701 00:34:47,640 --> 00:34:50,600 You spend all day at work looking after hedgehogs 702 00:34:50,720 --> 00:34:53,600 and then you come home, and you come out to your shed 703 00:34:53,680 --> 00:34:55,160 and you watch more hedgehogs? 704 00:34:55,240 --> 00:34:57,520 Yeah, I do, but these are wild ones. 705 00:34:57,640 --> 00:34:59,280 This is an amazing set-up you've got here. 706 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:01,200 How many cameras have you got in your garden? 707 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:02,920 I've got seven cameras out there. 708 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:04,280 Six are in nesting boxes 709 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:07,360 and then one is on this sort of vegetable patch area. 710 00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:10,520 This is like Big Brother but for hedgehogs. 711 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:13,640 Yeah. It probably is a little bit like that, but I love it. 712 00:35:13,720 --> 00:35:15,400 Oh, look. Oh, yes. 713 00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:17,600 Oh, there we go. Yeah, that's a hedgehog. 714 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:18,960 That's a hedgehog. 715 00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:21,920 It's going into the pond. 716 00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:25,280 Yeah. The pond, it's about, sort of, two or three inches deep 717 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:27,880 but it's so overgrown here, you can walk on it. 718 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:30,800 I do put bowls out, but they seem to prefer this water. 719 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:32,800 That seems to be quite a popular thing with them. 720 00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:34,120 Do you think it's drinking? 721 00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:37,000 Yeah. They drink and sometimes they find little insects. 722 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:40,520 That's really interesting. I guess this really proves 723 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:43,440 what you were saying about the fact that a lot of the hedgehogs 724 00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:46,840 that come in this time of year are dehydrated. 725 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:48,400 Mmm. They're thirsty. 726 00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:50,920 They need a water source and I guess, you know, 727 00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:54,320 you're kind of seeing here. They definitely drink a lot of water. 728 00:35:54,440 --> 00:35:57,320 Do you do anything else to encourage the hedgehogs in? 729 00:35:57,400 --> 00:35:59,280 Do you feed them? Yeah, I do 730 00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:01,440 and I've started feeding right through the year. 731 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:03,000 So I'll use cat food and dog food. 732 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:06,440 I tend to use the biscuits rather than the sticky foods 733 00:36:06,560 --> 00:36:09,280 and I do use meat and peanuts too. 734 00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:11,080 Interestingly, you can have food out 735 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:14,280 but they'll still eat all the bugs and they'll still be foraging. 736 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:17,320 So it's a supplement, if anything? Yes. 737 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:20,600 Oh, look. Oh, we have another one. There's another one here. 738 00:36:20,720 --> 00:36:24,120 This one's followed almost exactly the path of the other one. 739 00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:25,840 Do think he can follow her scent? 740 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:28,120 That's definitely what's happening. 741 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:29,240 Definitely. Wow. 742 00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:32,520 Because, I mean, they are so driven by their sense of smell, 743 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:35,280 aren't they, and it was absolutely precise. 744 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:37,960 It wandered the exact trail of the other, didn't it? 745 00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:40,120 Interesting. That's really interesting. 746 00:36:40,240 --> 00:36:42,640 Well, I guess we're in breeding season, aren't we? 747 00:36:42,720 --> 00:36:44,680 Yeah. So what's happening here? 748 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:47,480 Well, so the larger animal has come right down, 749 00:36:47,600 --> 00:36:50,400 alongside the smaller one that was in place before. 750 00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:53,920 I mean, it looks like courtship. Might have a new romance. Yeah. 751 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:56,440 Yeah. Ooh! That was a bit of a splash. 752 00:36:56,560 --> 00:36:59,920 Has he fallen off the ladder? His little leg's kicking up in the air! 753 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:02,280 THEY LAUGH 754 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:04,160 Oh, that's wonderful. 755 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:06,200 Hope he's going to be better at mating 756 00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:08,080 than he is at walking down the ladder. 757 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:10,880 OK. All right, I admit it. 758 00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:13,160 I'm converted. I'm totally hooked. 759 00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:16,600 I thought you were completely crazy to begin with, but this is it. 760 00:37:16,720 --> 00:37:18,640 I'm setting up my own garage with a hedgehog cam. 761 00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:20,320 It's amazing, isn't it? It's fantastic. 762 00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:22,280 The things that are out in your garden at night. 763 00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:24,800 So, depending on how receptive the female is, 764 00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:28,920 these things can go on for a very, very long time and right now, 765 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:31,200 I think she's playing hard to get. 766 00:37:31,320 --> 00:37:33,760 Not surprisingly, he's given up for the night. 767 00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:37,120 I think food is more important than his libido right now. 768 00:37:46,140 --> 00:37:48,940 The hedgehog's been around for at least 15 million years 769 00:37:49,060 --> 00:37:52,020 and has been voted the UK's favourite wild animal. 770 00:37:52,140 --> 00:37:55,180 Looking at this little guy, it's not hard to see why. 771 00:37:55,300 --> 00:37:58,020 It's time for us to start thinking about how best to protect 772 00:37:58,140 --> 00:38:00,380 this vulnerable, valuable little creature. 773 00:38:01,500 --> 00:38:03,100 At Amazing Grace in Windlesham, 774 00:38:03,220 --> 00:38:06,260 it's been a few days since they rescued hedgehog Claude. 775 00:38:06,380 --> 00:38:08,740 He was severely dehydrated, underweight 776 00:38:08,860 --> 00:38:11,220 and had a small fracture to his right leg, 777 00:38:11,340 --> 00:38:13,620 so I've come to check on his progress. 778 00:38:13,740 --> 00:38:16,420 So this is Claude. He's doing incredibly well. 779 00:38:16,540 --> 00:38:18,780 He's eating really well. His weight's up. 780 00:38:18,860 --> 00:38:20,380 Obviously his leg is still broken, 781 00:38:20,500 --> 00:38:23,380 so we're going to X-ray him next week to make sure that that's fusing 782 00:38:23,460 --> 00:38:24,860 and in the right position. 783 00:38:24,980 --> 00:38:28,100 He's walking pretty well on the other three legs 784 00:38:28,220 --> 00:38:32,140 and he's feeding properly. So Claude was 320g when he came in 785 00:38:32,260 --> 00:38:35,380 which is way too light. Shall we see where he is now? 786 00:38:36,740 --> 00:38:39,620 Here we go. So he's put on 60g. 787 00:38:39,700 --> 00:38:42,060 386. I'm really pleased with that. 788 00:38:42,180 --> 00:38:44,580 It may not sound like much but that's, kind of, 789 00:38:44,700 --> 00:38:47,020 15% of his body weight, isn't it? Mmm. Massive difference. 790 00:38:47,140 --> 00:38:49,740 That's massive in a week. What a transformation. 791 00:38:49,820 --> 00:38:51,740 Just the condition of his spines 792 00:38:51,860 --> 00:38:54,540 and the fact that the eyes don't seem so recessed any more. 793 00:38:54,660 --> 00:38:57,180 I mean, he just looks like a healthy hog now. 794 00:38:57,260 --> 00:38:58,580 Yeah. He looks incredible. 795 00:38:58,700 --> 00:39:00,940 I mean, last week he was really in a bad way. 796 00:39:01,020 --> 00:39:02,500 So this is like a classic case of 797 00:39:02,620 --> 00:39:05,620 a little bit of intervention can change everything for him. 798 00:39:05,700 --> 00:39:06,900 That is fantastic. 799 00:39:09,980 --> 00:39:14,100 And Claude isn't the only hog who, under Anne's care, is thriving. 800 00:39:14,220 --> 00:39:17,420 It's been two weeks since baby Natalie arrived at the centre 801 00:39:17,500 --> 00:39:20,140 and she's doubled in size. 802 00:39:20,220 --> 00:39:22,180 She's such a beautiful creature. 803 00:39:22,260 --> 00:39:23,940 Today, she has a visit from Brian. 804 00:39:24,060 --> 00:39:26,620 So Anne, how are we doing? How is Natalie? 805 00:39:26,740 --> 00:39:29,700 She's doing really well now. She's quite feisty. 806 00:39:29,780 --> 00:39:31,580 She's got loads of attitude. 807 00:39:31,660 --> 00:39:33,340 Whoa. She's got lots of energy. 808 00:39:33,460 --> 00:39:36,140 Yeah, fantastic. Very different to that little baby that came in. 809 00:39:36,260 --> 00:39:38,180 She's very chubby and if she wasn't so chubby, 810 00:39:38,260 --> 00:39:39,700 she'd be able to curl up properly. 811 00:39:39,820 --> 00:39:42,060 So she can kind of curl a little bit. 812 00:39:42,140 --> 00:39:43,940 Her eyes are open now 813 00:39:44,060 --> 00:39:46,780 and you can see she's constantly twitching her nose, 814 00:39:46,900 --> 00:39:49,580 looking for food, smelling for things. 815 00:39:49,700 --> 00:39:51,620 She's starting to look like a mini adult. 816 00:39:51,700 --> 00:39:53,420 A little bit shaky on the back legs 817 00:39:53,540 --> 00:39:55,900 but just because she's learning to walk. Yeah. 818 00:39:56,020 --> 00:39:58,620 They're very rubbery at the moment, as you can see. 819 00:39:58,700 --> 00:40:01,380 Bit like elastic bands in some ways. 820 00:40:01,460 --> 00:40:03,340 Oh! 821 00:40:03,460 --> 00:40:07,020 Natalie arrived at the centre just days old after being found 822 00:40:07,140 --> 00:40:10,940 under a railway sleeper, and her survival hung in the balance. 823 00:40:11,060 --> 00:40:13,300 She's going to make it now and we weren't sure, were we? 824 00:40:13,420 --> 00:40:15,380 No. It was really touch-and-go at the beginning. 825 00:40:15,500 --> 00:40:17,740 It's funny when you think. She looks quite defenceless 826 00:40:17,860 --> 00:40:21,180 but you then think, "How long is the human baby defenceless?" 827 00:40:21,260 --> 00:40:23,300 About 50 times as long. 828 00:40:23,420 --> 00:40:26,700 So, left to their own devices, without anything bothering them, 829 00:40:26,820 --> 00:40:29,420 they're very well adapted to surviving. 830 00:40:30,580 --> 00:40:34,700 Up until now, Anne's been feeding Natalie every two-and-a-half hours 831 00:40:34,820 --> 00:40:37,620 but her sleepless nights may soon be over. 832 00:40:37,740 --> 00:40:40,420 I'm really excited cos today she's eaten for the first time. 833 00:40:40,540 --> 00:40:44,260 Hurrah! So hopefully tonight I will get a few hours' sleep 834 00:40:44,380 --> 00:40:47,140 and the next few weeks, we'll see her eating properly 835 00:40:47,220 --> 00:40:48,500 and then she'll be gone. 836 00:40:48,580 --> 00:40:50,300 She's only here for a short window 837 00:40:50,420 --> 00:40:54,060 and it has been sleepless and it's very tiring, but so worth it. 838 00:40:55,220 --> 00:40:58,740 So worth it. So, Anne, what's the plan with Natalie now? 839 00:40:58,860 --> 00:41:02,300 She's about another week-and-a-half to two weeks weaning her, 840 00:41:02,380 --> 00:41:04,660 so her diet will change quite a lot. 841 00:41:04,780 --> 00:41:07,100 And then we'll start putting her outside during the day 842 00:41:07,220 --> 00:41:09,460 until she starts getting used to the temperature. 843 00:41:09,580 --> 00:41:11,860 In a run? Yeah, in one of the runs that are here, 844 00:41:11,980 --> 00:41:15,020 and within about six weeks she'll be out there permanently. 845 00:41:16,620 --> 00:41:18,780 She'll go back to the wild. She may stay on this estate. 846 00:41:18,860 --> 00:41:20,620 They're all wild here. 847 00:41:20,740 --> 00:41:22,980 What do you think? Shall we keep her? 848 00:41:23,100 --> 00:41:25,820 She might enjoy the vegetable patch. She'd love the veggie patch. 849 00:41:25,940 --> 00:41:28,220 I think she would. I think that's where she should go, 850 00:41:28,340 --> 00:41:31,260 but she'll definitely be going back to the wild, where she belongs, 851 00:41:31,380 --> 00:41:34,580 where she should be. You are very, very cute, you are. 852 00:41:34,660 --> 00:41:36,540 You're a very good advert 853 00:41:36,660 --> 00:41:39,420 for looking after Britain's hedgehogs, I think. 854 00:41:39,540 --> 00:41:42,140 I don't think anyone could resist you, little Natalie. 855 00:41:45,860 --> 00:41:47,740 Natalie still has some growing to do 856 00:41:47,860 --> 00:41:49,660 before she's ready to go it alone, 857 00:41:49,780 --> 00:41:53,100 but for one chap, the time has come for him to return home. 858 00:41:54,460 --> 00:41:56,060 Hey, Nigel. How're we going? 859 00:41:56,180 --> 00:41:59,740 Good, thanks, Steve. Yes, er... Wow! He's looking great. 860 00:41:59,820 --> 00:42:01,020 This is Ernie. 861 00:42:02,180 --> 00:42:05,900 Ernie is one round, happy, healthy-looking hog. 862 00:42:05,980 --> 00:42:07,780 Look at that. Oh, he's heavy. 863 00:42:07,860 --> 00:42:09,140 He is. He is. 864 00:42:09,260 --> 00:42:11,580 He's, er... I think he's around 800g. 865 00:42:11,700 --> 00:42:15,500 800g? So he's a really good weight for a male hedgehog. 866 00:42:15,620 --> 00:42:17,940 He's been with us for three or four months now. 867 00:42:18,060 --> 00:42:21,820 He actually came in with a bad leg. He also had ringworm. 868 00:42:21,940 --> 00:42:24,180 One or two other things when he arrived with us. 869 00:42:24,300 --> 00:42:28,100 So he's had an awful lot of trials and tribulations over the winter 870 00:42:28,180 --> 00:42:29,940 but as you see, now he's a fit 871 00:42:30,060 --> 00:42:33,340 and healthy-looking hedgehog who's getting ready to go back home. 872 00:42:33,460 --> 00:42:35,740 And that is what this is all about. 873 00:42:35,860 --> 00:42:38,140 Absolutely. This is everything we do it for. 874 00:42:38,220 --> 00:42:39,540 Every hog in here. 875 00:42:39,660 --> 00:42:42,580 You know, it's Ernie's day today but they'll all get their day. 876 00:42:42,660 --> 00:42:44,860 Today is Ernie's day 877 00:42:44,940 --> 00:42:46,500 as a dribble of snot 878 00:42:46,580 --> 00:42:48,540 trickles off his nose. 879 00:42:48,660 --> 00:42:51,580 You have no idea of the gravitas of the situation, do you, Ernie? 880 00:42:51,660 --> 00:42:52,620 Seriously. 881 00:42:54,660 --> 00:42:57,140 If possible, the team likes to release the hogs 882 00:42:57,260 --> 00:43:00,100 back to where they were found, and luckily for Ernie, 883 00:43:00,220 --> 00:43:02,620 his hog habitat has been thoroughly checked 884 00:43:02,740 --> 00:43:04,980 and passes as the perfect environment. 885 00:43:05,060 --> 00:43:06,860 Right. 886 00:43:06,940 --> 00:43:08,780 The moment Ernie's been waiting for. 887 00:43:08,860 --> 00:43:10,380 Yeah, me too. 888 00:43:10,500 --> 00:43:12,740 Nigel, do you mind if I do the honours? No. 889 00:43:13,900 --> 00:43:15,100 There he is. 890 00:43:17,140 --> 00:43:19,580 So Nigel, Ernie was found no more than a stone's throw away 891 00:43:19,700 --> 00:43:21,980 from where we are right now? No, really local to here. 892 00:43:22,100 --> 00:43:24,100 So it's the ideal thing to put them back 893 00:43:24,220 --> 00:43:26,100 into the habitat where they've come from. 894 00:43:26,220 --> 00:43:29,020 It's an ideal environment here because we have cover. 895 00:43:29,140 --> 00:43:31,180 We have leaf litter. We have things like that, 896 00:43:31,300 --> 00:43:33,900 so it's going to be a perfect place for him to snuffle around, 897 00:43:34,020 --> 00:43:36,740 get his bearings and, you know, he'll get back into 898 00:43:36,860 --> 00:43:38,860 what was his old life very, very soon. 899 00:43:38,980 --> 00:43:40,740 I feel like I've seen the whole story now. 900 00:43:40,820 --> 00:43:42,220 I've seen them come in injured. 901 00:43:42,340 --> 00:43:45,220 I've seen them being treated and now I get to see the real diamond. 902 00:43:45,340 --> 00:43:47,420 This is the bit that really makes it, yeah, 903 00:43:47,540 --> 00:43:50,460 and then encourage other people to really appreciate hedgehogs 904 00:43:50,540 --> 00:43:51,860 and love them as much as we do. 905 00:43:51,980 --> 00:43:54,620 I think, over the course of working here, 906 00:43:54,740 --> 00:43:56,980 I've learnt so much about hedgehogs, you know, 907 00:43:57,100 --> 00:44:01,580 really they have stolen a piece of my heart, and it's not surprising. 908 00:44:01,700 --> 00:44:04,620 Hedgehogs are such a charismatic animal. 909 00:44:04,740 --> 00:44:06,740 They're so lovable, but they also have 910 00:44:06,860 --> 00:44:09,980 an incredibly important role to play in the environment, 911 00:44:10,100 --> 00:44:13,540 and their future is very much in our hands. 912 00:44:13,620 --> 00:44:16,460 OK, Ernie. Time to break free. 913 00:44:24,060 --> 00:44:27,580 Takes a little while for them to get going but once they kind of... 914 00:44:27,700 --> 00:44:29,660 it's all about smell and scent with them. 915 00:44:29,780 --> 00:44:32,260 So, as you can see, he's starting to settle now 916 00:44:32,380 --> 00:44:35,260 and he's looking really... back home. Mmm. 917 00:44:35,340 --> 00:44:36,660 Perfect. 918 00:44:51,580 --> 00:44:54,540 Subtitles by Ericsson.