HEDGEHOGS CLOSE TO GOING EXTINCT

Spiky garden creatures put on danger list by charities

- GEORGE MAIR

HEDGEHOGS face being wiped out as numbers dwindle.

They were yesterday placed on the "Near Threatened" red list of a worldwide conservation group.

Once a common sight across Europe, the west European hedgehog (erinaceus europaeus) has suffered a population decline of over 30 per cent in the past decade.

Its conservation status now has been updated from Least Concern to Near Threatened, meaning it has moved one step closer to extinction.