Galway city's hedgehogs are the subject of a new study, with researchers asking people to help them find out where urban hedgehogs are hanging out.
Hedgehogs are more readily associated with the countryside, but the city's parks and gardens are an important habitat for these spiky mammals, and other urban wildlife.
Now researchers at the University of Galway, having already surveyed the hedgehog population nationally, want to find out more about those in the city.
There have been reports from England and other countries warning of dramatic reductions of hedgehog populations in rural areas over the last couple of decades. However, the decline is much slower in urban areas, as gardens and green areas act as a refuge for the animals.
Researchers from University of Galway led the All-Ireland Hedgehog Survey, which was established in 2020. To date more than 7,000 records of hedgehogs have been received from all over the country, with more than half of these recorded in people’s gardens.
Now the scientists want to take a closer look at city-dwelling hedgehogs and, thanks to the All-Ireland Hedgehog Survey, they have pinpointed parts of Galway city which have hedgehog populations.
“We are learning a lot about how hedgehogs use gardens," said Elaine O’Riordan of University of Galway's School of Natural Science. "Many householders have reported that hedgehogs visit regularly, or nest in their garden. Many people enjoy watching their night time visitors, and some supply food and even hedgehog houses to encourage them to hang out.
“Renmore, Mervue and Rahoon all have several reports of hedgehogs every year, which would indicate that they have good hedgehog numbers. We want to look at the gardens and talk to people in these areas to learn more about how hedgehogs are using gardens and estates and how people are interacting with them.”
For the Hedgehogs in the City project, the researchers are asking people from these three areas - Renmore, Mervue and Rahoon - to take part in an online survey to gather information about what kind of gardens people have and whether hedgehogs use them or not.
The online survey can be accessed through the Hedgehog Survey website at www.irishhedgehogsurvey.com/hedgehogs-in-the-city
It is a very simple, short questionnaire. The researchers are asking as many people as possible to take the survey - even if you have never seen a hedgehog before.
Later in the summer, the hedgehog team plan to visit some of the gardens and green spaces in the three areas of the city to search for hedgehogs using wildlife cameras and footprint tunnels. If anyone is interested in having their garden surveyed, they can sign up when they do the online survey.
Further information on the survey is available from Elaine O'Riordan at [email protected].
