U.K. Hedgehogs Next Wildlife To Be Tracked With GPS Technology

Shepreth Wildlife Park in the U.K. has a hospital dedicated to local hedgehogs. The Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity organized its first annual “Hedgehog Day” in order to help raise funds for these little creatures. Part of their ongoing conservation efforts includes tracking hedgehogs in the park with GPS devices. GPS tracking has already proven over and over again how useful it can be in wildlife conservation and study. The charity trustees are hoping to use the technology to their advantage in maintaining and assisting the hedgehog population.

One big problem stands in the way: money. The conservation charity already owes more than $52K in loans used to build the hedgehog hospital. The hospitals monthly outgoing costs have reached nearly $2K. Struggling to make ends meet, the trustees were inspired to host a Hedgehog Day in order to help raise funds for research and maintaining the hospital. The event also had the added benefit of educating the public about these cute little animals. In addition to hedgehogs, the visitors got to meet the other residents of the park, including reptiles and skunks. The children were even treated to a magic show. The charity was able to raise upwards of $1,300 in one day.

Hugh Warwick, ecologist and writer, also graced the stage with a presentation about hedgehogs. Warwick was recently announced as a patron of the Hedgehog Hospital. He is considered a bit of a hedgehog guru. He has been studying hedgehogs for about 20 years and authored A Prickly Affair, a book about the spiny mammals.

So far, the Hedgehog Hospital has treated and released 83 hedgehogs. With GPS tracking and other technologies, they hope to keep increasing that number. You can find out more about the hedgehog charity at www.swccharity.org.

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U.K. Hedgehogs Next Wildlife To Be Tracked With GPS Technology