Islanders planning bonfire celebrations next week are being urged to check their firewood piles for hedgehogs that may be sheltering within.
Gill Morgan from the Jersey Hedgehog Preservation Group has issued guidance for those hosting small gatherings and commercial organisers of larger bonfire displays.
She encouraged people to carefully dismantle and reposition firewood before lighting it to ensure no hedgehogs have settled in the piles, which the animals often use as winter homes as they prepare for hibernation.
Gill explained: “With the weather getting colder, our hedgehogs are curling up in leaf piles to keep warm, and bonfires look like an inviting place to bed down.
“Unlike other small mammals, hedgehogs will not run away from danger, preferring to curl into a ball hoping their spines will protect them – and obviously that is no defence against fire.”
She urged others to follow the lead of the St Martin’s Charity Bonfire Display which is designed to be hedgehog-friendly, explaining that the number of hedgehogs in the UK has fallen from an estimated 30 million in the 1950s to under one million now.
“They are on the red list of species at risk of extinction,” said Gill.
“Every life saved is precious so please check carefully before lighting that bonfire.”