Hedgehogs are getting more RANDY thanks to coronavirus crisis say experts as fewer people and cars leave way clear for wildlife lockdown love
- Wildlife expert Michael Walker says hedgehogs have become ‘extremely active’
- ‘I’ve had a video sent to me of a male pursuing a female… very noisily’
- Amount of animals being found dead in the road has halved, says one report
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Less traffic on the road and fewer people around means hedgehogs are feeling the love during the coronavirus lockdown, one expert has claimed.
According to a national project, the number of animals being found dead in the road has more than halved compared to the same time last year.
Animal expert Michael Walker, from Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, says the spiny mammals have become ‘extremely active,’ telling the BBC: ‘People are noticing them more in their gardens.
Experts in Nottinghamshire say hedgehogs are thriving during the coronavirus lockdown, with one encouraging the public to record their experiences with the spiny mammals
A project keeping track of animals killed on the road suggests the number of hedgehogs killed on Britain’s roads has more than halved compared to April 2019
‘I’ve had a video sent to me of a male a pursuing a female, very noisily.’
He said he had received ‘randy’ videos of hedgehogs during the lockdown and encouraged people to record their experiences, particularly people living in the city.
Project Splatter, put together by four women at universities in Cardiff and Nottingham, prepares weekly reports on the number of animals killed on Britain’s roads.
The project’s websites states 19 at least 19 hedgehogs were found dead in the road between April 13-19, compared to 55 during mid-April 2019.
Overall figures have declined to, 2020’s figures recorded 138 deaths, compared to 239 last year’s.
Researcher Lauren Moore, based at Nottingham Trent University, added: ‘It could be a result of fewer people on the roads to see and record sightings,” she said.
‘[However] it is possible that it’s due to a lower number of vehicles on roads and that the risk hedgehogs [and other animals] face when crossing a road is greatly reduced.’