where have all the hedgehogs gone?

Question

I haven't seen a hedgehog for ages..where did they all go? have they died out?

Answer 1

http://www.guardian.co.uk/conservation/story/0,,1687999,00.html
very nicely encapsulates the reasons corresponding to the sharp decline of the hedgehogs.
SOME EXCERPTS: :

"Hedgehogs have already largely disappeared from central London. Only half of the places in the capital where they were recorded in the mid-60s now have them. Of all the London parks, only Regent's Park still has any living in it. In a broad sweep of country stretching up the eastern side of England from Kent to Northumbria, hedgehogs are in what Dr Paul Bright, lecturer in ecology at Royal Holloway, University of London, calls "a nosedive".
Stories of hedgehog decline have been around for years, but only now is Bright completing the first statistically robust report on the drop in numbers. Commissioned by the government's Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the People's Trust for Endangered Species, a private charity, his report will highlight what he calls "a serious rate of decline, what amounts to a red alert for hedgehogs". When he delivers his conclusions to the authorities later this month, they will send shockwaves through the conservation establishment."

Answer 2

During the eighties there were concerns about the numbers of hedgehogs. Under a government emergency meeting a white paper was drawn up to protect our prickly friends. As a result a ninja training camp for hedge hods was set up. The hedgehogs are still around but they are so highly trained in the art that their stealth is almost perfect.

Answer 3

death at the hands of three wheeled cars im afraid,
i will explain my theory for you.
Hedgehogs got killed whilst crossing roads for years and they had a convention to try and prevent any more deaths occuring,
The president of ther hedgehog society suggested road craft lessons, and every new hedgehog whent to school to learn road craft,
they were taught that at night time while crossing the road you had to look left and right before making your move,but due to the slow pace they have , in an emergency as like when you were stuck in the middle and noticed two white lights comming towards you,then dont panic, just shuffle yourself into the midle of where the two lights were and you will hear a tremendous noise as they pass over you ,but you will be safe,,,
a few years later they invented the reliant robin three wheelers,, the rest is history..

lol

Answer 4

I have a family of hedgehogs living under my shed in my back garden. I leave food and stuff out for them. The low numbers are simply because people are taking away there hedges and things so they have no where to hide and sleep etc

Answer 5

Wasn't that a really bad song by Paula Cole?

"Oh you get me ready in your 56 chevy
Why don't we go sit down in the shade
Take shelter on my front porch
The dandy lion sun scorching,
Like a glass of cold lemonade
I will do laundry if you pay all the bills

Where is my John Wayne
Where is my prairie song
Where is my happy ending
Where have all the hedgehogs gone"

Oh my bad...that was cowboys.

Answer 6

like all British wildlife, they've moved to Wales or Scotland.
As England becomes more and more over populated with people from all over the globe, the wildlife and the native people are being pushed out to the sides of this tiny island.
In my my case, a Londoner born and raised, I hitched a ride on the back of a hedgehog 8 years ago and escaped to Wales.
I wouldn't go back for a million squid.

Answer 7

Our badger population is growing because they have no predator. They have helped cause a decline in the numbers of hedgehogs because they seek out their nests and eat the young.
As well as spreading TB to cattle...!!

Answer 8

Yes, they are extinct now, just like giraffes and polar bears. Shame we were too busy checking on the animals which were rare that we didn't notice these lovely species all being eaten by the occupants of the ex-planet Pluto.

Answer 9

My boyfriends garden! I think its some kind of hedgehog rave/meeting point or something :-)

Answer 10

Nope. There forming a underground elite task force to wipe out the scummy drivers who squash there family members!