Help a hedgehog

Bonfires are very dangerous for hedgehogs as woodpiles are ideal places for shelter. Sadly many hedgehogs fall foul of un-checked bonfires and are killed because of it. But we can all take steps to ensure bonfires are as safe as possible.

• Build it on the same day that you will light it. The longer it’s left for, the more likely it is that a hedgehog will wander in.
• Place chicken wire one metre high, at an outward angle, all the way around the bottom while you're building it.
• If you have stored materials for your bonfire outdoors then move them to a different patch of ground.
• Always place the bonfire on open ground – never on a pile of leaves as a hedgehog may be hiding underneath.
• Always check the entire bonfire for hedgehogs before lighting it. They tend to hide in the centre and bottom two feet in particular. 
• When checking, lift parts of the bonfire section by section using a pole or broom. Do not use a fork, spade or rake as this may injure a hedgehog.
• Use a torch to look inside the bonfire and listen for a hissing sound, as this is the noise that hedgehogs make when they are disturbed or distressed.
• Always light your bonfire from one corner, rather than in the centre, in order to give hedgehogs a chance to escape if they need to.

If you do find a hedgehog then move slowly and calmly. Pick it up with gardening gloves, along with any nesting material it may have been sitting in, and place it in a cardboard box lined with newspaper. Relocate the box to a safe location that is far from any fires or wait until the bonfire is over and dampen down the fire site with water before releasing the hedgehog under a bush or a log pile.