HEDGEHOG highways could be created in gardens throughout Dunbar to protect the animals.
The Dunbar Pledge-hog Project is aiming to connect both hedgehogs and people.
Residents of the town will be encouraged to look out for the spiky creatures throughout the year and asked to make a pledge to help the mammals in their gardens or their outdoor spaces.
The scheme, which has received funding from Dunbar and East Linton Area Partnership, was launched on Thursday to coincide with National Hedgehog Day.
Jen Walker, Dunbar Pledge-hog officer, encouraged people to get involved with the project, which is being run by Sustaining Dunbar.
She said: “Hedgehogs need us to provide them with more connected gardens and green spaces that offer food and shelter.
“Hedgehogs travel around a mile each night and can struggle to survive if the gardens they pass provide no access, lack hiding places or the creatures that they eat.
“By increasing hedgehog highways and making more natural areas available, we hope to have a positive effect on hedgehog numbers here.”
In 2020, hedgehogs were put on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as vulnerable to extinction in Great Britain.
Jen Walker and Naomi Barnes are encouraging people to do their bit to help hedgehogs. Image: Gill Walker (Esoterica Photography)
Naomi Barnes, from Sustaining Dunbar, said: “Thinking about what kind of habitat and food a hedgehog needs helps us to plan and use our gardens in a different way.
“It encourages us to get outside and talk to our neighbours about creating a hedgehog highway, swap plants and seeds, and share our enthusiasm for keeping watch for these elusive creatures.
“In this way, the project aims to connect people, reduce social isolation and have a positive effect on our mental health.”
Anyone living in Dunbar and wanting to find out if they have a hedgehog visiting their garden can borrow a night-time camera and feeding station from the project free of charge.
The equipment was bought thanks to funding from Dunbar Community Council’s Community Benefit Fund.
Sightings of any hedgehogs can be easily plotted online on the ‘Big Hedgehog Map’ (bighedgehogmap.org), which is run by Hedgehog Street, a joint initiative between the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and People’s Trust for Endangered Species.
Jen added: “If you see any hedgehogs (alive or dead) please do plot them on the Big Hedgehog Map.
“We will be using this to monitor their distribution throughout the town.
“Please do also get in touch as I’d love to find out about anything that you might be doing to make your garden or green space more hedgehog friendly.”
Various measures can be taken to make a garden more hedgehog-friendly, including leaving an area of grass to grow longer, sowing native wildflower seeds and leaving out a shallow dish of water.
Email jen@sustainingdunbar.org for more information.
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