Four hedgehogs released near Farnham in bid to reverse 50-year decline

Four rescued hedgehogs have been released into a local churchyard as part of an ambitious project to restore the species to the Farnham area after almost 50 years of decline.

The animals were released into St Peter's Churchyard in Wrecclesham last week after being rescued from Fleet and hand-reared at Hart Wildlife Rescue in Alton.

They have all been given literature-inspired names: Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore, Dodger after the Artful Dodger, and Mary after Charles Dickens' sister-in-law, Mary Hogarth.

Volunteers from the Wrecclesham Conservation Group (WCG) had been busy preparing the St Peter’s churchyard site in the village ahead of their release, building shelters and creating suitable habitat for the animals to settle into.

Organisers say the release is intended as an important first step in a broader hedgehog conservation programme for the area, with the ultimate goal of increasing hedgehog numbers across Farnham.

Data from a local hedgehog survey and mapping project shows that Wrecclesham has a higher concentration of hedgehogs than any other part of Farnham, and the WCG is hoping to play a leading role in building on that strength as part of the conservation drive

Conservation group member Myung Hye Chun said: “I’ve been a volunteer at Hart Wild for nearly six years and looked after lots of hedgehogs there.

“But unlike Alton and other parts of Hampshire areas, I soon realised that Farnham has been devoid of hedgehogs for nearly 50 years.

“It’s only in recent years that hedgehog sightings started being reported and people having more awareness of hedgehogs, installing hedgehog friendly fences and placing hedgehog houses in their gardens.

“Hopefully, these four hedgehogs will successfully mate and make some babies, too! It’s been a long journey personally to bring them here from Hart Wildlife since I started volunteering there for a long time and hope that everything goes in the right direction.”