Hedgehogs

With ongoing urbanisation an increasing number of wildlife species face rising levels of pressure due
to habitat loss and fragmentation. The impact of urbanisation on species has been mainly investigated for avian
life. It is however less well known how urban dwelling mammals are affected. The western hedgehog (Erinaceus
europaeus) is closely associated with built-up areas and has recently been included in the UK Biodiversity Action
Plan, as a result of evidence of significant decline in Great Britain. We studied the presence of western hedgehogs
and other mammals in green-spaces in built-up areas throughout Great Britain using effort-based volunteer
surveys. We used these data to investigate which factors were associated with variations in relative abundance of
hedgehogs in urbanised landscapes, and to draw conclusions on which mitigation measures might benefit hedgehogs
and other mammal populations. The present study suggests that the presence of wildlife friendly features,
such as a hedgehog nest box and feeders, attract western hedgehogs to gardens. The presence of predators had
a significant negative impact on the relative abundance of western hedgehogs in built-up areas in countryside
regions. The lack of connectivity between patches of suitable habitat caused by barriers such as large water-bodies
and impenetrable fences also restricted hedgehog abundance. The need for the incorporation of good environmental
management, with consideration for habitat connectivity, in development planning seems to be crucial for the
viability of hedgehog populations in built-up areas. Awareness amongst the public of the possibilities to increase
the attractiveness of private gardens for wildlife might also increase the viability of wildlife in harsh environments.

The main aim of this thesis was to better understand the extent of, and the mechanisms behind, the apparent decline of the West European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) throughout Great Britain since 1960. The current distribution and relative abundance of hedgehogs was assessed by using a nationwide public participation survey, and drivers behind geographical
variations and changes over time were identified by comparing this data with data from the 1960s from the UK National Biodiversity Network. An additional aim was to identify mitigation measures necessary to ensure the viability of
hedgehog populations. The impact of agricultural management on hedgehogs with particular reference to agri-environment schemes was investigated by means of a questionnaire aimed at farmers and a field study. An in-depth study of hedgehog presence in built-up areas investigated the role of urbanization
using an existing database called ‘Living With Mammals’.
The findings in this thesis indicate that although hedgehogs are still widely distributed, their numbers have been falling considerably, which was mainly correlated with an increase in badger abundance, loss of suitable habitat and increased fragmentation. Recently, hedgehogs were more prevalent in the
arable-dominated lowlands of Great Britain than in the pasture-dominated lowlands, mainly because of differences in badger abundance and major road coverage.
Since both practical and ethical issues are likely to arise with predator control, it seems imperative to seek effective non-lethal methods to preserve hedgehogs. The implementation of agri-environment schemes that include wide field margins and dense, well established hedgerows on farmland is expected to
increase hedgehog populations. In urban areas the need for sound ecological management in new development plans emphasising habitat connectivity seems essential. Raising awareness amongst the general public and stressing
the importance of wildlife-friendly features in, and connectivity between, urban green-spaces is also likely to benefit hedgehogs.

Fecal samples from the hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus (15 samples) and E. roumanicus (44 samples) collected in the Poznań region of Poland were examined. Endoparasites were isolated using Sheather's flotation technique. The prevalence of parasitic infections in all hedgehogs examined was 74.6% (E. europaeus--73.3%; E. roumanicus--75.0%). Two species of parasites occurred in both species of hosts: Aonchotheca erinacei (60% and 80%) and Eucoleus aerophilus (6.7% and 15.9%). Brachylaima erinacei was found only in E. europaeus (33.3%) while Physaloptera sp. (13.6%) and Crenosoma striatum (4.6%) only in E. roumanicus. The intensity of infection varied from 1 to 371 eggs/1g of feces in E. europaeus and from 1 to 194 eggs/1g of feces in E. roumanicus. In both sexes the majority of infections were of low intensity, high intensity infections occurring only sporadically. No zoonotic species of endoparasites were recorded in these samples.

At the onset of the 2003 US monkeypox outbreak, virologic data were unavailable regarding which animal species were involved with virus importation and/or subsequent transmission to humans and whether there was a risk for establishment of zoonotic monkeypox in North America. Similarly, it was unclear which specimens would be best for virus testing. Monkeypox DNA was detected in at least 33 animals, and virus was cultured from 22. Virus-positive animals included three African species associated with the importation event (giant pouched rats, Cricetomys spp.; rope squirrels, Funisciuris sp.; and dormice, Graphiuris sp.). Virologic evidence from North American prairie dogs (Cynomys sp.) was concordant with their suspected roles as vectors for human monkeypox. Multiple tissues were found suitable for DNA detection and/or virus isolation. These data extend the potential host range for monkeypox virus infection and supports concern regarding the potential for establishment in novel reserv...

Wobbly hedgehog syndrome (WHS) is a leading cause of neurologic disease in African pygmy hedgehogs (APHs; Atelerix albiventris). This study describes the signalment, clinical signs, gross, microscopic, and ultrastructural lesions of WHS in a cohort of 12 pet APHs. Microscopically, lesions consisted of status spongiosus of the white matter, typically bilateral and symmetrical, with myelin degeneration and loss that was accompanied by neuronal/axonal degeneration plus reactive microgliosis and mild, focal astrocytosis and astrogliosis. Lesions were most severe in the cerebellum and medulla oblongata, as well as cervical and thoracic spinal cord. Less affected areas were the corona radiata, corpus callosum, corpus striatum, internal capsule, and the mesencephalon. Ultrastructurally, the lesions consisted of splitting of the myelin sheath at the intraperiod line with subsequent focal expansion, resulting in status spongiosus, disruption, dilatation, rhexis, and phagocytosis. Based on th...

Parasite loads of animals vary among individuals, but the underlying mechanisms have not been fully identified. Here, we investigated whether health status of hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) is correlated with tick burden, and whether chemical cues linked to the health status of the host mediate attraction of the tick Ixodes hexagonus. An ecological survey conducted over 10 years, involving 226 wild hedgehogs, revealed a strong association between health status and tick burden of hedgehogs, with healthy animals being less likely to carry ticks than unhealthy ones. Behavioral choice tests demonstrated that ticks display a preference for the fecal odor from sick hedgehogs compared with healthy ones. Chemical analysis of fecal odors using gas chromatography - mass spectrometry showed differences in the odor profile between sick and healthy hedgehogs. Sick animals tended to exhibit raised levels of the volatile aromatic heterocyclic compound indole in their feces. Ticks were attracted to indole when given the choice between indole and a solvent control. However, fecal matter from healthy hosts, with the addition of indole, was not attractive to ticks, suggesting that indole interacts with other, undetected compounds in mediating attraction. This study implies that it is the attraction to fecal odor that causes higher tick burdens in sick hedgehogs. Ticks might benefit from this preference by avoiding possible repulsion mechanisms of healthy hosts. We suggest that ticks potentially choose their host based on odor linked to the host’s health status.

The Nature of our Village project set out to massively increase how much we know about wildlife in Penparcau, a village of over 3,000 people and covering 190 hectares in West Wales. It began in November 2015 as a partnership between the Penparcau Community Forum, the West Wales Biodiversity Information Centre and the Wildlife Trust for South and West Wales. The project is run by Chloe Griffiths, an Ecologist living in Penparcau.

The project has now completed its second year, and this report aims to reflect on what we have found out.

L’unguentario conformato a riccio ha ampia diffusione nel Mediterraneo
tra VII e VI secolo a.C. con attestazioni dalla Spagna al Vicino Oriente. Lo studio di questa tipologia di reperti e la loro comprensione a livello stilistico e concettuale rientrano nell’ottica della ricerca di una maggiore conoscenza riguardo ai contatti e alle influenze culturali nel bacino mediterraneo tra epoca tardo orientalizzante e periodo arcaico, quando in Egitto regnava la dinastia saitica (664-525 a.C.).

This poster aims to analyze the diffusion of hedgehog-shaped aryballoi in the Mediterranean between 7th and 6th century BC. These objects are widespread from Egypt to Spain and are part of the period, known as the Orientalizing, in which oriental and Egyptian fashions spread within the different Mediterranean élites, sometimes disregarding their original meaning. These finds are found largely in funerary contexts, such as the case of Megara Hyblea in Sicily or the Etruscan tombs in Tarquinia and Cerveteri, but also in sacred contexts such as Francavilla Marittima in Calabria and Rhodes. This island would seem to be one of the possible places of origin for this class of objects together with Egypt, where the faience technique was well known for centuries. Starting, therefore, from two specimens from the Museo Egizio in Turin, whose origin is not clear, we will try to deduce from their characteristics the place of origin, meaning, and contents to better understand a class of objects rather enigmatic but from the high stylistic value.

At the onset of the 2003 US monkeypox outbreak, virologic data were unavailable regarding which animal species were involved with virus importation and/or subsequent transmission to humans and whether there was a risk for establishment of zoonotic monkeypox in North America. Similarly, it was unclear which specimens would be best for virus testing. Monkeypox DNA was detected in at least 33 animals, and virus was cultured from 22. Virus-positive animals included three African species associated with the importation event (giant pouched rats, Cricetomys spp.; rope squirrels, Funisciuris sp.; and dormice, Graphiuris sp.). Virologic evidence from North American prairie dogs (Cynomys sp.) was concordant with their suspected roles as vectors for human monkeypox. Multiple tissues were found suitable for DNA detection and/or virus isolation. These data extend the potential host range for monkeypox virus infection and supports concern regarding the potential for establishment in novel reserv...

Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) plasma contains factor(s) which neutralize the hemorrhagic activity of European viper (Vipera berus) venom. These antihemorrhagic factor(s) were purified by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 and chromatography on Cibacron Blue Sepharose. The macroglobulin fraction obtained was characterized for proteinase inhibiting activity, molecular weight and purity by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunological cross-reactivity and was found to contain the three macroglobulin proteinase inhibitors--alpha 2-macroglobulin, alpha 2-beta-macroglobulin and beta-macroglobulin. The purified macroglobulins were totally able to neutralize Vipera berus venom hemorrhagic activity, but no distinction between them in this respect was possible.

The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is known to host several ectoparasites and also tick-borne pathogens, but there is scant information on its eastern relative, the Northern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus). We have studied ...

Abundance and density are vital metrics for assessing a species' conservation status and for developing effective management strategies. Remote-sensing cameras are being used increasingly as part of citizen science projects to monitor wildlife, but current methodologies to monitor densities pose challenges when animals are not individually recognizable. We investigated the use of camera traps and the Random Encounter Model (REM) for estimating the density of West European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) within a citizen science framework. We evaluated the use of a simplified version of the REM in terms of the parameters' estimation (averaged vs. survey-specific) and assessed its potential application as part of a large-scale, long-term citizen science project. We compared averaged REM estimates to those obtained via spatial capture-recapture (SCR) using data from nocturnal spotlight surveys. There was a high degree of concordance in REM-derived density estimates from averaged parameters versus those derived from survey-specific parameters. Averaged REM density estimates were also comparable to those produced by SCR at eight out of nine sites; hedgehog density was 7.5 times higher in urban (32.3 km À2) versus rural (4.3 km 2) sites. Power analyses indicated that the averaged REM approach would be able to detect a 25% change in hedgehog density in both habitats with >90% power. Furthermore, despite the high start-up costs associated with the REM method, it would be cost-effective in the long term. The averaged REM approach is a promising solution to the challenge of large-scale and long-term species monitoring. We suggest including the REM as part of a citizen science monitoring project, where participants collect data and researchers verify and implement the required analysis. Introduction Information about animal abundance and density, and how these are affected by biotic and/or abiotic factors, are important when developing management strategies and allocating conservation efforts (Fryxell et al. 2014). However, the range of methods available for estimating animal density is substantial (Williams et al. 2002), such that it can be a challenge to decide which method is best for specific species in different contexts. Ideally, the chosen method should be the one best suited to answering the research question, but factors such as accuracy,

Two or 3 years ago I was approached by an in-law who had a pet hedgehog he wasn't interested in keeping anymore. Knowing my background in exotic and domestic animals, he asked whether I was interested in having it. Never having kept or worked with hedgehogs, I was somewhat intrigued by the idea and agreed to take it on. The hedgehog came in a translucent plastic container about 18 " L x 15 " W x 13 " H with wood shavings as bedding, a solid plastic exercise wheel mounted on the back wall, as well as a plastic water bottle, the type used for rodents, mounted through a hole in the back wall as well, a small stainless steel food dish, and a wash rag the hedgehog used to sleep on or under (as the case may be). I was told this hedgehog subsisted on dry cat food, so I put in on the floor on a quiet room in the house. As it was not in the least tame, uttering disturbing noises reminiscent of the movie Gremlins, I left it to its own devices dutifully feeding it, providing water, and changing the litter as necessary. I didn't have it very long before I noticed it was dropping quills and generally not looking as healthy as I thought it should. There is a disturbing lack of good information on hedgehogs available to a casual owner like me, although apparently several dozen people around the country breed them.

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum are two tick-borne pathogens of medical and/or veterinary importance which are distributed worldwide. Erinaceus roumanicus, the Northern white-breasted hedgehog, is a common synanthropic species that is known to carry not only the hedgehog tick, Ixodes hexagonus, but also I. ricinus, the most common European tick species. I. ricinus is the main vector of both mentioned pathogens. Within this framework and because only limited information is available on the role of E. roumanicus in the ecology of B. burgdorferi s.l. and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Europe, we carried out an epidemiological surveillance on this species in Romania. From the 57 examined hedgehogs collected in 12 different counties, 24 presented tick infestation. Most ticks (n=959) were morphologically identified as larvae, nymphs, or adults of I. ricinus. The prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. was 0.4%, and that of A. phagocytophilum 12%. In all positive case...