Give the hogs a helping hand

WATCH out there are hedgehogs about! It’s the time of year when hedgehogs are feverishly feasting, looking to fatten up before going into hibernation around November.

- By AMY SHAKESHAFT The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside

You might have seen more activity in hedgerows, parks and gardens as the humble hedgehog snuffles through piles of leaves searching for dinner.

Every year we run our Help A Hog campaign to raise awareness and gather information about the state of our hedgehog population. We need you, the people of Manchester, to let us know where and when you have seen one of these extraordinary mammals by reporting your sightings on our website.

These reports are shared with local environmental records centres, allowing us to build an accurate map of hedgehog habitats and behaviours to best understand and support our prickly population.

Why is this so important? Hedgehogs are an 'indicator species'.

Their health and abundance is a good signal on how the rest of the ecosystem is doing.