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The humble hedgehog.

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Secretive, snuffling and with a very
special place in British hearts.

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In my childhood, they were a common
presence in our night gardens

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but in recent years, they've
suffered catastrophic challenges.

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This, though, is a time to celebrate
our favourite nocturnal mammal

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and think of ways of giving them
a helping hand.

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Over the next hour, we'll meet
Moonbeam, Russel, Claude,

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Maggie and baby Natalie.

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The most beautiful face.

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I'll be hands on with the hogs

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at one of the UK's top
hedgehog rescue centres.

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You're asking me
to listen to a hedgehog?

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There'll be rescues...

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Let's hope
that he does pull through.

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..and medical issues.

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I think there is a little fracture
here.

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We'll meet Grandma Hedgehog
and her hog brood.

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I love them to bits.

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And then there's Derek.

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His spines started falling out.

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And we'll show you how to make
your garden hedgehog-friendly.

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This is like Big Brother,
but for hedgehogs.

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I'm driving through Windlesham
in Surrey

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which is officially the UK's first
hedgehog-friendly village

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and the rescue centre that's behind
this whole initiative

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was set up by none other
than rock god, Dr Brian May.

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I have to admit,
I'm a little bit star-struck.

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Rock legend Brian May is also

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a leading inspiration
in animal welfare.

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In 2009, along with wildlife rescuer
Anne Brummer,

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he set up the Save Me Trust,

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named after one of those famous
Queen songs,

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to help British animals.

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But with hedgehog numbers
on a rapid decline,

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last year, Brian and Anne launched
Amazing Grace,

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specifically to help the hogs.

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Hi, Brian. How're you doing?
I'm good, thank you.

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Nice to see you.
Nice to see you, Steve.

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Rock legend to hedgehog hero.

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How did that happen?
Er, no, I'm not a hero.

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I just do what I can. I mean,
if I hadn't met Anne Brummer,

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none of this would've happened.
I had the will in my life.

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I always felt for animals,
but I didn't have any, um,

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skills and I didn't have
any knowledge really.

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And because I'm well known, I'm able
to have an effect out there,

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so it's good to use notoriety
to good effect, I think.

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All kinds of people
in the public eye

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talk a lot about
the extinction of tigers.

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The hedgehog in our own country

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is declining at roughly
the same rate as the tiger is.

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So you have to think, you know,
we should be really dealing

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with what's on our doorstep first.

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Run us through some of the problems
you're seeing with the hedgehogs

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that are brought in here. This is
a hard time of year for them

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because many of them will be coming
out of hibernation.

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So many of the hedgehogs
that come in here are dehydrated.

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They need water. So if you're going
to put something out for them,

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put a dish of water out.

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A lot of them come in poisoned
with slug pellets, and yes,

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they'll say some of these slug
pellets are organic or whatever,

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but they still kill things.

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I guess hedgehogs are nature's
gardeners, aren't they?

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Yes. They feed on
a lot of the creatures

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that we would consider to be pests.
Absolutely, yeah.

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Anything you put into your garden
that's targeting those pests

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is going to end up targeting
things like hedgehogs.

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Absolutely, yeah. What you want is
loads of hedgehogs in your garden.

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So, who have we got here?

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We have a little hedgehog
called Maggie.

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She doesn't know
she's called Maggie,

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but that's what we call her
cos they all have names here.

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She came in not in great shape,
but now is in fabulous shape.

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This is the shape that
a hedgehog should be.

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It is that perfect spherical ball

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of bristling wonderment that is,
kind of, how a hedgehog should look.

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That's right. But here we've got the
other side of the story, haven't we?

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This little guy's called Luca and
you can see he's a lot thinner.

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He's fully grown,
but he's, kind of, more like

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a rugby ball shape
than a round shape.

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If you find a hedgehog, don't assume
that he needs relocating.

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If he looks like this one, nice and
fat and round, leave him alone.

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If he looks emaciated and a bit
poorly, then find a wildlife centre.

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So it's not just Brian who's fallen
for the charms of the humble hog.

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All over the country
there are people doing their bit

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to protect nature's gardeners.

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While many people dedicate
their time to helping the hogs,

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in Authorpe, Lincolnshire,
there's one lady

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who's devoted her entire life
to them.

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Elaine Drewery even calls herself
'Grandma Hedgehog.

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I have up to 100 hedgehogs
in at any time.

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So they start off in the house.

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Well, it was a house.

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It's now a hedgehog sanctuary,
more or less.

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Um, I just have to live
along with them.

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And in here, they're assessed
and diagnosed.

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So it doesn't look a lot like
a house any more.

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I have hedgehogs in the spare
bedroom, the bathroom.

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This is the television room.

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Was. And it now serves as intensive
care for the hedgehogs, a pharmacy,

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but it's all right. I don't mind.

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I like the company of hedgehogs.

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I'm absolutely, er,
addicted to them.

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Elaine rehabilitates
sick and injured hedgehogs

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for eventual release
back into the wild,

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but due to their nocturnal nature,

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she often sacrifices her sleep
to care for her brood.

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In a lot of cases, their life
depends on my sitting up all night.

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That's why I look like this,
you know, I'm only 21.

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And I often don't go to bed
for, you know, weeks on end.

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You get to think like a hedgehog,
really, I suppose.

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I don't think like a human any more.

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I think I see the world
from a hedgehog's eyes

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and it helps to understand them.

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I love them to bits,
but hedgehogs aren't affectionate,

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and if they had any affection,

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it certainly wouldn't be extended
to Nurse Elaine.

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It's not just the cost
to Elaine's sleep.

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She relies on her pension
and donations

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to care for hundreds
of prickly pals every year.

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We usually have about 50 or 60
hedgehogs in here

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and this little chap
was badly strimmed.

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Many of the hedgehogs
under Elaine's care have had

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excruciating encounters
with a common garden tool.

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Their spines are no match
for strimmers

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which can cause horrendous
and potentially fatal injuries.

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So, to avoid casualties,
check for wildlife

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before strimming your bush,
hedge or lawn.

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His nose has been strimmed.

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It couldn't have been much worse
than it was.

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It was hanging off.
But with his nose hanging off,

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he was trying to eat some dinner
and I thought,

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"Well, if he's going to fight
for his life, I'll help him."

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Another victim of the strimmer
hazard is Russel.

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This little chap's got
quite a story to tell.

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Somebody delivered him
to be put to sleep

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because he looked like
a skinned rabbit,

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but it was so newly done,

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we sent him off to the vet's
to be stitched back together.

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His prickles were down each side

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like somebody's pants
around their ankles.

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But they sewed him together
too tight

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which means that his prickles,
instead of being round him,

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are like a beret perched on the top.

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No way can he, um...

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..um, protect himself.
He can't get into a ball.

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No way could he go back out
into the wild.

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We have to put notices on
to any helpers, um,

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not to overfeed him cos he's
too big already for his skin.

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But, um, I'm afraid
he's a favourite.

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To celebrate our prickly neighbour,

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the humble hedgehog,

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we are travelling the country
meeting people

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who have dedicated their lives
to helping out the humble hog.

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Well, I've planted myself here
at the Amazing Grace Rescue Centre

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to get a sense of
the challenges they face.

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The centre rescues around 750
hedgehogs every year

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and one lady who's crucial
to helping them is Anne Brummer.

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She's hands on with the hogs,
giving them around-the-clock care.

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Today I'm going to help Anne treat
Kester for lungworm

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and Layla for ringworm -
both common problems for hogs.

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Hi, Anne. How're you doing?
Hi, Steve. How are you?

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Very well. Very well.
Where is the patient?

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Kester is just here.

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And what do we know about
this little fella?

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Well, he came in after
a road traffic accident.

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But if you...if you listen
carefully,

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you can hear he's got
a bit of a wheeze.

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She's just doing this
to make me look silly.

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You're asking me to listen
to a hedgehog?

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But look, listen. It's like a shell.

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So, can you hear?

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He's got, like, a little bit
of a crackle.

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Maybe I haven't quite
got my ear in yet.

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So, what do we think
that wheeze is caused by?

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It's caused by lungworm.
It's fluids that are in the lungs.

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So in the long term, that would just
fill up and it would suffocate him.

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Going to give him a couple of
injections which he won't be

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over-enamoured with.
Would you like me to hold him?

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Yeah, if you can hold him. OK.
Are you OK there?

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I'm just going to get him
in the back here.

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He won't feel them.
They're, um, very thin needles.

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Well, this one is a properly
hyperactive hedgehog.

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Very busy. I can't keep him still!

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Maybe we should move
to our next patient? Yeah.

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We'll move to our next patient
who might be a little quieter.

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Ah, this is much bigger.

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Yes, and Layla is
a lot less tolerant.

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A lot less tolerant.
A lot more huffy.

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Yeah. So, and that's, kind of,
a defence thing and you can see

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the spines are turning out
quite sharply.

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Oh, now that one
I can hear breathing.

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Yes. That's quite an angry breath,
isn't it?

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Yeah, it is an angry breath.

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That is definitely angry hedgehog.

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WHEEZING

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What an amazing sound!
Isn't that incredible?

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It's really cool, isn't it?
I have never heard that before.

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All of a sudden it doesn't seem
quite so helpless any more, does it?

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So, what's the plan? We're going to
put her in there upside down.

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Are we going to bath a hedgehog?
Yes, we are going to bath
a hedgehog.

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Oh, do you know what?
I love my job so much.

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It's going to be tricky
cos she's going to jump,

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because obviously she doesn't get
that this is a good thing for her.

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So, why are we giving this girl
a bath?

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She has ringworm. So she came in
with lots of her spines missing

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and patches where
the spines had fallen out.

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And what's in this bath?

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It's Imaverol and it kills off...
Ringworms live on the surface,

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they don't live deep in the skin,
so it's quite easy to resolve.

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And, of course, hedgehogs don't
really have any aversion to water.

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I mean, they can swim, can't they?
They swim incredibly well.

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In fact, in the wild, hogs have
even been known to cross rivers,

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but if you do have a pond or
a swimming pool in your garden,

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make sure you have an escape route
to prevent them from drowning.

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Well, if her attitude is
anything to go by,

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then this one's going to be
a fighter, isn't she?

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Definitely. That's one of the things
on release, with all the animals,

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you want to see them removing
themselves away from you

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and being scared of humans. Yeah.

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And you need to see that fight
and that desire inside them,

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then you know you've got a pretty
healthy animal to go back out there.

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So we're going to try and open
her up just a little bit.

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See if we can make her
a little less grumpy.

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Come on, grumpy.

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While we attempt to cheer Layla up,

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in the Hertfordshire countryside,
there's a special hog

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who some may think has a right
to be grumpy.

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Meet Derek.

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He's lost all of
his signature spines

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and this is his devoted carer,
Monique Blackford.

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He looks all rough and bobbly,
but actually it feels

232
00:11:13,820 --> 00:11:15,580
like silk when you touch him.

233
00:11:15,660 --> 00:11:17,300
Like a baby's bottom.

234
00:11:17,420 --> 00:11:21,700
He's got very curly nails
which I have to trim.

235
00:11:21,820 --> 00:11:24,820
Derek hasn't always been
so peculiar.

236
00:11:24,940 --> 00:11:28,740
He was a regular-looking hedgehog
before a nasty incident.

237
00:11:28,860 --> 00:11:33,660
He had an injury where it looks
like he'd been attacked by a crow

238
00:11:33,780 --> 00:11:36,620
and this injury was covered
by the spines.

239
00:11:38,060 --> 00:11:39,700
It took several attempts,

240
00:11:39,820 --> 00:11:42,620
took different antibiotics
to get the wound to heal

241
00:11:42,740 --> 00:11:45,980
and then in mid-December,
his spines started falling out.

242
00:11:46,060 --> 00:11:48,140
By February, he hardly had any

243
00:11:48,260 --> 00:11:51,900
and he's losing the pigment
from his nose and his feet.

244
00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:54,940
They're all going pink now.

245
00:11:55,060 --> 00:11:58,820
We had a skin biopsy done for him
in 2016

246
00:11:58,940 --> 00:12:02,460
and that showed that it was
a hormonal problem,

247
00:12:02,580 --> 00:12:06,500
possibly linked to stress,
environmental stress,

248
00:12:06,620 --> 00:12:10,380
because a hedgehog should be roaming
miles a night and foraging.

249
00:12:12,940 --> 00:12:15,780
In an attempt to get Derek's spines
to grow back,

250
00:12:15,900 --> 00:12:19,380
Monique has constructed a hedgehog
playpen in her spare room,

251
00:12:19,460 --> 00:12:21,900
but this isn't Derek's only perk.

252
00:12:22,020 --> 00:12:25,780
I was giving him massages
with coconut oil

253
00:12:25,860 --> 00:12:28,060
to try and stimulate hair growth

254
00:12:28,140 --> 00:12:30,340
and now, because he's indoors,

255
00:12:30,460 --> 00:12:34,140
to stop his skin getting dry
from the heat,

256
00:12:34,220 --> 00:12:36,700
once a week I put almond oil on him.

257
00:12:36,820 --> 00:12:39,740
But if I do it for too long,
he starts bucking.

258
00:12:44,300 --> 00:12:47,380
Derek used to have
a full complement of spines.

259
00:12:47,460 --> 00:12:50,420
An adult can have up to 7,000.

260
00:12:50,540 --> 00:12:53,540
They're stiffened with keratin,
much like our fingernails,

261
00:12:53,620 --> 00:12:55,820
and sprout just hours after birth.

262
00:12:55,900 --> 00:12:58,860
Each spine lasts around a year,

263
00:12:58,980 --> 00:13:01,420
then drops out,
and a replacement grows.

264
00:13:02,620 --> 00:13:04,820
This thick and spiny coat provides

265
00:13:04,940 --> 00:13:07,820
an awesome layer of protection
and defence.

266
00:13:07,940 --> 00:13:10,380
If alerted to danger,
they'll curl up

267
00:13:10,500 --> 00:13:13,420
and protect their soft,
furry stomach.

268
00:13:13,500 --> 00:13:14,740
Without this armour,

269
00:13:14,860 --> 00:13:17,740
it's too dangerous for Derek
to return to the wild.

270
00:13:17,860 --> 00:13:21,220
So Monique has come up with
the next-best solution -

271
00:13:21,340 --> 00:13:24,820
a trip to the bird-proof fruit cage
in her garden.

272
00:13:24,940 --> 00:13:28,820
Because he's bald,
he's vulnerable to owls at night.

273
00:13:28,940 --> 00:13:31,500
This is the sort of area that
Derek will have

274
00:13:31,620 --> 00:13:34,180
where he can do
natural hedgy-hog things.

275
00:13:37,260 --> 00:13:40,260
Derek looks a little bit like
a hippo with no spines.

276
00:13:41,620 --> 00:13:44,380
He can't keep warm
like a normal hedgehog.

277
00:13:46,340 --> 00:13:48,260
Obviously when the nights get
colder again,

278
00:13:48,340 --> 00:13:50,020
I'll be bringing him back in,

279
00:13:50,140 --> 00:13:52,900
but hopefully he'll have
a good few months out here.

280
00:13:54,620 --> 00:13:56,700
When he spends time out here
during the summer,

281
00:13:56,820 --> 00:14:00,380
there's every chance that maybe
his spines will grow back.

282
00:14:11,380 --> 00:14:12,660
Back at the rescue centre,

283
00:14:12,780 --> 00:14:15,540
Anne's got word of a hedgehog
that needs urgent help.

284
00:14:16,700 --> 00:14:19,740
We've just had a call from a lady
who's found a hedgehog,

285
00:14:19,860 --> 00:14:22,220
so we're just going to go
and pick it up from her

286
00:14:22,300 --> 00:14:23,940
and find out some more details.

287
00:14:24,060 --> 00:14:26,860
The lady's told me that she found it
out when she was walking her dog

288
00:14:26,980 --> 00:14:30,460
in the daytime and it was on the
side of the road just slumped over.

289
00:14:30,580 --> 00:14:33,700
The fact that it was out in the day
is quite a serious issue.

290
00:14:33,820 --> 00:14:36,660
Jenny Whitting found
the hedgehog yesterday.

291
00:14:36,740 --> 00:14:38,940
There you are, darling. Hello.

292
00:14:39,060 --> 00:14:41,980
She's been keeping it warm,
well fed and watered.

293
00:14:43,660 --> 00:14:45,780
Hello, Anne. Hi, Jenny.
How are you?

294
00:14:45,860 --> 00:14:47,420
OK, let's take a look at you.

295
00:14:47,500 --> 00:14:49,180
Bless him. Look.

296
00:14:49,300 --> 00:14:53,020
Oh, yes. You can see the spines
are a bit slow at responding.

297
00:14:53,140 --> 00:14:55,020
Yes. So that suggests
he's dehydrated.

298
00:14:55,140 --> 00:14:57,900
There's a tick there and a couple of
ticks on the inside. Oh!

299
00:14:58,020 --> 00:14:59,820
Also got a foot that's caught there.
Oh, really?

300
00:14:59,940 --> 00:15:02,380
I don't know whether there's
anything happened to his foot

301
00:15:02,500 --> 00:15:06,140
but we'll look as soon as we manage
to uncurl him. Oh, bless him.

302
00:15:06,220 --> 00:15:07,580
And the size of the spines,

303
00:15:07,700 --> 00:15:09,940
I can tell that this is a late baby
from last year.

304
00:15:10,060 --> 00:15:12,460
Probably September-October time,
it would've been born.

305
00:15:12,580 --> 00:15:14,460
Really? So not a very
good start in life,

306
00:15:14,580 --> 00:15:16,340
but actually done well
to survive the winter.

307
00:15:16,460 --> 00:15:19,300
Well, thank God for people like you.
Thank you very much. Thank you.

308
00:15:19,380 --> 00:15:20,740
I love them.

309
00:15:25,020 --> 00:15:27,820
Anne cares for hundreds of animals
every year,

310
00:15:27,940 --> 00:15:31,860
so knows that the little hog's
unresponsiveness is serious.

311
00:15:31,980 --> 00:15:34,700
And back at the centre,
it needs urgent rehydration.

312
00:15:34,820 --> 00:15:37,980
OK. So I'm putting subcutaneous
fluids into his body now.

313
00:15:38,060 --> 00:15:39,700
It's a really fine syringe.

314
00:15:39,820 --> 00:15:42,820
It's a 1ml syringe
because he's quite tiny still.

315
00:15:42,940 --> 00:15:45,460
And it just literally goes
under the skin,

316
00:15:45,580 --> 00:15:49,060
but it'll give him vital fluids
into his body.

317
00:15:49,180 --> 00:15:52,060
Rehydration is essential
for all our wildlife.

318
00:15:52,140 --> 00:15:53,620
Once they go into shock,

319
00:15:53,740 --> 00:15:56,900
all their vital organs are protected
by the little energy that they have

320
00:15:57,020 --> 00:15:58,700
and it wouldn't enable them
to repair.

321
00:15:58,820 --> 00:16:02,100
By rehydrating them, we get the body
back to functioning normally

322
00:16:02,180 --> 00:16:03,980
and then it enables them to recover.

323
00:16:04,100 --> 00:16:07,220
Then we can look at any other issues
that might be underlying,

324
00:16:07,340 --> 00:16:09,580
but first of all
we've got to stabilise him.

325
00:16:09,660 --> 00:16:11,100
We're doing everything we can,

326
00:16:11,220 --> 00:16:13,140
so let's hope
that he does pull through.

327
00:16:18,020 --> 00:16:20,100
All hedgehogs are precious.

328
00:16:20,220 --> 00:16:23,420
Once flourishing, hogs are now
in serious decline.

329
00:16:23,500 --> 00:16:24,860
They've been around for longer

330
00:16:24,980 --> 00:16:27,300
than the sabre-toothed tiger
and woolly mammoths,

331
00:16:27,380 --> 00:16:28,980
so they're tough little creatures

332
00:16:29,100 --> 00:16:31,340
that deserve to be here
for many years to come.

333
00:16:31,460 --> 00:16:34,220
But they need help
and in Regent's Park,

334
00:16:34,340 --> 00:16:36,940
Clare Bowen from
the Royal Parks Foundation

335
00:16:37,060 --> 00:16:40,500
is fronting a team of over
100 volunteers to help the hogs.

336
00:16:40,580 --> 00:16:42,460
Tonight, I'm lending a hand.

337
00:16:43,780 --> 00:16:46,860
It's about now that they really
should be thinking of coming out,

338
00:16:46,940 --> 00:16:48,460
looking for food and foraging.

339
00:16:48,580 --> 00:16:50,620
So let's head this way
and walk north

340
00:16:50,740 --> 00:16:53,060
towards the top of the park.
Fantastic.

341
00:16:53,180 --> 00:16:57,020
To help us find the hogs,
we're using a thermal imaging camera

342
00:16:57,100 --> 00:16:59,380
and keeping tabs on them is crucial.

343
00:16:59,500 --> 00:17:03,180
Hedgehogs were once a common sight
in all central London parks,

344
00:17:03,300 --> 00:17:06,180
but now there's just one
breeding population left

345
00:17:06,300 --> 00:17:08,900
that we're looking for
here in Regent's Park.

346
00:17:09,020 --> 00:17:12,100
So what do we know already about
the population of hedgehogs

347
00:17:12,220 --> 00:17:15,900
here at Regent's Park? Well, we've
been surveying them for four years,

348
00:17:16,020 --> 00:17:21,140
and in the very first year we were
pleased to find around 50 animals

349
00:17:21,260 --> 00:17:23,900
distributed in several hot spots
throughout the park.

350
00:17:24,020 --> 00:17:27,380
And 50 animals? Is that a healthy
amount to have here, do you think?

351
00:17:27,500 --> 00:17:30,500
It's still really quite a small
number, er, to be honest,

352
00:17:30,620 --> 00:17:33,900
and a park this size could sustain
many more animals.

353
00:17:33,980 --> 00:17:35,500
Oh, hang on.

354
00:17:35,580 --> 00:17:37,380
What is that?

355
00:17:37,500 --> 00:17:39,420
Moving towards the bottom
of that tree.

356
00:17:39,540 --> 00:17:41,780
See that little dot
moving right to left?

357
00:17:41,900 --> 00:17:44,060
Oh, yeah. That's quite fast.
Too fast for a hedgehog.

358
00:17:44,140 --> 00:17:45,700
It's probably a cat? Or a fox.

359
00:17:45,820 --> 00:17:48,540
Or a fox? Yeah. Nice to know
there is wildlife

360
00:17:48,620 --> 00:17:50,260
in London's parks though.

361
00:17:50,380 --> 00:17:53,620
In Clare's survey,
when hedgehogs were found,

362
00:17:53,740 --> 00:17:56,900
they each had a small ID tag
slipped onto their spines

363
00:17:57,020 --> 00:18:00,020
and some were also fitted with
a tracking device.

364
00:18:00,100 --> 00:18:02,380
But tonight, luck is on our side

365
00:18:02,500 --> 00:18:05,060
and all we need
is our thermal imaging camera.

366
00:18:06,540 --> 00:18:08,500
Just down here at our feet.

367
00:18:08,620 --> 00:18:11,740
I never, ever tire
of finding hedgehogs.

368
00:18:11,820 --> 00:18:14,020
I know. Isn't it wonderful?

369
00:18:14,100 --> 00:18:15,780
It's such a magical moment.

370
00:18:15,900 --> 00:18:17,900
Hey there, little fella.
There we go.

371
00:18:17,980 --> 00:18:19,460
Great. First of all,

372
00:18:19,580 --> 00:18:23,100
if we could identify exactly what
number is written on that spine.

373
00:18:23,180 --> 00:18:25,420
One-eight-nine. One-eight-nine.

374
00:18:25,500 --> 00:18:27,100
Place it into the bag.

375
00:18:30,820 --> 00:18:33,380
590-ish grams. Yeah.
The average weight of hedgehogs

376
00:18:33,500 --> 00:18:36,740
that we've found throughout the year
here has been more like 900g.

377
00:18:36,860 --> 00:18:38,740
It's still young.
There's still time,

378
00:18:38,860 --> 00:18:40,740
but it could do with
fattening up a bit.

379
00:18:40,860 --> 00:18:44,820
I guess it could be that it's just,
kind of, come out of hibernation

380
00:18:44,940 --> 00:18:48,340
and still lacking those
fat reserves. Yes, absolutely.

381
00:18:49,820 --> 00:18:52,740
Hedgehogs spend, on average,
five months in hibernation

382
00:18:52,860 --> 00:18:56,100
to conserve energy during
the food shortages of winter.

383
00:18:58,180 --> 00:19:01,740
Their body temperature falls
from 35 to 10 degrees.

384
00:19:01,860 --> 00:19:05,020
Their heart rate decreases
to less than 20 beats per minute

385
00:19:05,140 --> 00:19:07,460
and an hour can elapse
between breaths.

386
00:19:09,460 --> 00:19:11,060
When they emerge from hibernation,

387
00:19:11,180 --> 00:19:14,980
hedgehogs have often lost up to 25%
of their body weight.

388
00:19:17,300 --> 00:19:20,580
All these long hours out in the park
at night.

389
00:19:20,700 --> 00:19:23,460
How is that helping to actually
protect hedgehogs,

390
00:19:23,540 --> 00:19:25,100
like little 189 here?

391
00:19:25,220 --> 00:19:28,060
We've been focusing a lot
on the hedgerows in the parks

392
00:19:28,180 --> 00:19:31,540
and, er, rather than mowing right up
to the base of the hedgerow,

393
00:19:31,660 --> 00:19:34,940
just leaving a headland of longer
grass so that they do have

394
00:19:35,060 --> 00:19:38,300
the opportunity to forage there
in, er, relative safety.

395
00:19:38,420 --> 00:19:42,060
The idea really for us is to try and
understand more about the population

396
00:19:42,180 --> 00:19:45,460
so that the park managers can adjust
the way they do things

397
00:19:45,580 --> 00:19:47,820
and think
in a hedgehog-friendly way.

398
00:19:47,940 --> 00:19:50,820
Hopefully this young male will go on
to find females

399
00:19:50,940 --> 00:19:53,460
and help repopulate
the Regent's Park hogs.

400
00:19:53,580 --> 00:19:55,820
Now, more than ever,
babies are vital

401
00:19:55,900 --> 00:19:57,620
to the survival of their species,

402
00:19:57,740 --> 00:20:00,940
so during breeding season
at Amazing Grace Rescue Centre,

403
00:20:01,060 --> 00:20:03,380
all the females are given
pregnancy scans.

404
00:20:03,500 --> 00:20:09,060
So, in early pregnancy, a baby will
basically look like a black circle.

405
00:20:09,140 --> 00:20:11,420
A fluid-filled bag, basically.

406
00:20:11,500 --> 00:20:13,020
I think she might be fat.

407
00:20:13,100 --> 00:20:14,980
That might be my diagnosis.

408
00:20:15,060 --> 00:20:17,500
Ooh, although... Hang on.

409
00:20:17,580 --> 00:20:19,060
That is a baby.

410
00:20:19,140 --> 00:20:21,380
On this screen you can see a couple.

411
00:20:21,500 --> 00:20:24,220
So one, two,
possibly three down here.

412
00:20:24,300 --> 00:20:26,060
See, she's not fat!

413
00:20:26,180 --> 00:20:28,980
In the wild, only around half
of the babies born

414
00:20:29,100 --> 00:20:33,100
make it to their first year, so
if there is a hedgehog with hoglets,

415
00:20:33,220 --> 00:20:35,180
instead of being released
into the wild,

416
00:20:35,300 --> 00:20:38,220
they'll go into a safe,
enclosed area to give birth.

417
00:20:38,340 --> 00:20:42,460
They'll stay here until both Mum and
babies are fit and healthy enough

418
00:20:42,540 --> 00:20:43,780
to return to the wild,

419
00:20:43,900 --> 00:20:47,020
but some babies don't have
such a great start in life.

420
00:20:47,140 --> 00:20:48,860
This is Natalie.
She came in last night.

421
00:20:48,980 --> 00:20:50,740
She was found
under a railway sleeper.

422
00:20:50,860 --> 00:20:54,700
We could see as soon as she came in
that she was really badly dehydrated

423
00:20:54,820 --> 00:20:57,980
and probably hadn't seen a mum
for at least 24 hours.

424
00:20:58,100 --> 00:21:00,620
Her body had already started
to shut down, which means

425
00:21:00,740 --> 00:21:03,980
all the energy in her body would be
protecting the vital organs.

426
00:21:04,100 --> 00:21:06,060
She wouldn't have survived
another night.

427
00:21:06,180 --> 00:21:08,660
She was very flat and very weak
yesterday.

428
00:21:10,860 --> 00:21:12,940
If Natalie had stayed with her mum,

429
00:21:13,060 --> 00:21:16,380
she and her siblings would nurse
for around three to four weeks.

430
00:21:16,500 --> 00:21:20,140
Then they'd start heading out
on family foraging trips.

431
00:21:20,260 --> 00:21:23,140
Hoglets, like most babies,
have bundles of energy,

432
00:21:23,260 --> 00:21:27,660
but Mum only has to put up with
the unruliness for around ten days.

433
00:21:27,780 --> 00:21:31,300
Then her teaching is done
and the hoglets will go it alone,

434
00:21:31,380 --> 00:21:33,340
leaving her to put her paws up.

435
00:21:35,700 --> 00:21:39,300
But if you can't have Mum,
Anne makes a pretty good substitute.

436
00:21:43,220 --> 00:21:46,260
So I'm massaging her a little bit.

437
00:21:46,380 --> 00:21:49,940
Her skin can be quite dry,
so this baby oil helps.

438
00:21:51,500 --> 00:21:54,620
But obviously, if it gets dry
and flaky, it can be sore.

439
00:21:54,740 --> 00:21:57,940
So it is quite an important thing
to do

440
00:21:58,060 --> 00:22:00,900
but it's a little bit of
a spa treatment.

441
00:22:02,380 --> 00:22:05,140
So cute and the most beautiful face.

442
00:22:07,460 --> 00:22:09,300
That's one very happy Natalie.

443
00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:20,120
Once a familiar sight
in British gardens,

444
00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,720
it's thought there are now fewer
than a million hedgehogs left here.

445
00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:26,120
These adorable little creatures are
in danger

446
00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,640
but there are things that you can do
to help them survive.

447
00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:30,880
All over the country,

448
00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:33,960
hog enthusiasts are doing their bit
to protect them,

449
00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:37,200
and rescue centres
like Amazing Grace that was set up

450
00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:40,960
by rock legend and British wildlife
enthusiast Dr Brian May

451
00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:43,080
are essential in helping the hogs.

452
00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,240
Do you remember the first time
you saw a hedgehog?

453
00:22:45,360 --> 00:22:48,120
Yeah. I used to have hedgehogs
around me at home in Feltham.

454
00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:50,040
They were quite regular visitors

455
00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:53,320
and we used to put a saucer out
with milk in it

456
00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:55,280
and a bit of bread as well.

457
00:22:55,360 --> 00:22:56,640
Which...which I know...

458
00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:59,280
which we now know is totally
the wrong thing to do.

459
00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:01,440
Please don't listen to a word
he's saying here.

460
00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:03,000
Do not give your hedgehogs milk.

461
00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:05,840
Don't do this. Yeah. Turns out
hedgehogs are lactose intolerant.

462
00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:08,920
It's worth saying these things. What
should people give them instead?

463
00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:12,320
You can put cat food out or dog
food, or nuts and raisins and stuff,

464
00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:14,800
Anything healthy. I think
it's good to put some food out

465
00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:16,920
because they're in trouble,
these creatures.

466
00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:20,200
They need a bit of help. These guys
have been around much longer

467
00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:22,160
than humans in the British Isles.

468
00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:24,520
You know, 15 million years
you're talking about.

469
00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:28,200
Way, way longer than us,
so they have a very, very good right

470
00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:30,560
to be here and to thrive,
I would say.

471
00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,320
There are 16 species
of hedgehog.

472
00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:35,880
Those native to the UK are
the European hogs

473
00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:39,680
and they're the only spiny mammal
found in Great Britain.

474
00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:41,440
Driven by their sense of smell,

475
00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:45,840
these little creatures can climb
and run surprisingly fast.

476
00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:47,680
We're talking 6mph,

477
00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:51,240
but this isn't always quick enough
to escape danger.

478
00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:53,160
PHONE RINGS

479
00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:55,040
Hello, Amazing Grace.

480
00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:58,000
At the rescue centre,
Natalie has received a call

481
00:23:58,120 --> 00:24:00,720
about a hedgehog
with a severely damaged leg

482
00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:02,680
that needs urgent medical attention.

483
00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:05,600
The veterinary practice
is just up the road

484
00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:09,560
and all the vet's time and care
is given for free.

485
00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:11,240
Richard is ready and waiting.

486
00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,600
Hi, Richard. Hiya. So I've got
my little hedgehog.

487
00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:18,960
OK. She was found
in a lady's garden.

488
00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:20,480
She brought her in this morning.

489
00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:23,280
Um, she said she was eating
but she hasn't eaten with us,

490
00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:26,000
so I don't really know
if she's eating or not. OK.

491
00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:29,680
The leg is either dislocated or
broken, but we're not quite sure.

492
00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:33,000
Yeah. She's got a puncture wound and
we're presuming it's really infected

493
00:24:33,120 --> 00:24:35,360
cos it's so swollen,
and it's really hard.

494
00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:37,640
OK. So it's very swollen.

495
00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:39,560
It could be trauma.
It could be a bite.

496
00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:42,280
Our guess and our fear would be
a dog or a fox or something

497
00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:44,200
which would potentially
cause a break

498
00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:46,480
or a fight between rival hedgehogs.

499
00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:50,200
I'm just going to put a needle in
there to see what we do get back.

500
00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:52,760
And there we go.

501
00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:55,880
So it just looks like
a large abscess.

502
00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,480
I'm really shocked. I was convinced
it was going to be broken

503
00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,400
so that's, kind of,
the best possible outcome really,

504
00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:03,560
cos sometimes it just isn't
a happy ending.

505
00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:05,640
So it's nice to, kind of,
think the worst

506
00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:07,520
and then actually
be proven wrong.

507
00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:09,000
It's quite a large abscess,

508
00:25:09,120 --> 00:25:11,160
there's going to be quite a bit of
pus. Yeah.

509
00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:13,680
When Richard says
"quite a bit of pus",

510
00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:16,560
what he actually means
is loads of it,

511
00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:19,560
so if you're a bit squeamish,
then look away now.

512
00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,520
Perfect. And it doesn't smell
particularly pleasant.

513
00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:33,760
I'm afraid there's a lot more
still to come.

514
00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:36,200
Er, you'd hope
she'd survive in the wild.

515
00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:38,640
You'd hope this would rupture
of its own accord and drain,

516
00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:41,160
and her immune system would be able
to fight things off,

517
00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:43,680
but you would be worried about
how debilitated she is.

518
00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:46,480
Whether she can get around. Whether
she starts to get a bit toxic.

519
00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:48,200
We're here to, kind of,
speed that up.

520
00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:50,720
You know, they are able to cope
with a lot.

521
00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:52,920
Much more than our,
kind of, pets tend to do.

522
00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:54,360
I think that'll about do. Yeah?

523
00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:57,440
We'll start some antibiotics and
you can continue the pain relief.

524
00:25:57,560 --> 00:25:59,800
Yeah. Brilliant. She seems
in pretty good condition

525
00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:03,320
apart from the abscess
and I'd be hopeful she'd make
a pretty quick and full recovery.

526
00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:06,320
Thank you. She'll come straight back
with me.

527
00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,240
When this little girl is
well enough,

528
00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:11,640
she'll be taken into an outside
enclosure at the centre

529
00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:14,120
to prepare her for life
back in the wild,

530
00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:17,320
but sadly this isn't the case
for all rescued hedgehogs.

531
00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:21,800
In the New Forest in Hampshire,
meet Moonbeam.

532
00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:24,720
We've discovered that
she's totally blind.

533
00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:27,920
When we try and get close
to her eyes,

534
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,240
there's no response whatsoever.

535
00:26:30,360 --> 00:26:34,840
Leander Johnson rehabilitates
hedgehogs in the back of her garage

536
00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:37,480
and Moonbeam arrived
five months ago.

537
00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:40,200
She was brought in
by a member of the public

538
00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:42,480
who found her in a fence-post hole

539
00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,560
and it was probably
about a two-foot hole, um,

540
00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:48,320
so it was quite a severe drop
for a hedgehog.

541
00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:50,680
She'd been down there
probably some days.

542
00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:55,320
So she came in with quite severe
neurological damage.

543
00:26:55,440 --> 00:26:58,400
Um, she was doing
a really drastic shake.

544
00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:00,760
She was a pretty lost cause.

545
00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,400
That night I thought she was going
to have to go to the vet

546
00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:05,360
and it would not be a good ending,

547
00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:08,520
but we gave her painkillers
and some fluids,

548
00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:10,880
and the next morning
she was a little bit better

549
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:12,680
and she's just done amazingly.

550
00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:16,240
Not knowing whether it's day or
night means Moonbeam is active

551
00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:19,840
during the day, leaving her
extra vulnerable to predators.

552
00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:22,360
So what we've got to do is, um,

553
00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:24,800
is release her
into an enclosed garden

554
00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:28,000
so that she can have a bit of
the wild life

555
00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:31,160
and be out of a box, um,
but she's enclosed

556
00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:34,000
so that somebody can really take
care of her and look after her.

557
00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:35,640
She's definitely ready to go.

558
00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:40,680
Moonbeam might be blind, but all
hedgehogs have limited vision.

559
00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:43,160
They can see outlines of objects
like trees

560
00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:45,520
and recognise landmarks
and buildings.

561
00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:48,920
For hedgehogs, though,
it's all about their sharp hearing

562
00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,280
and keen sense of smell.

563
00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:56,640
Their moist noses can detect dinner,
as well as danger, at a distance.

564
00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:02,280
Moonbeam is already sniffing out
her new outdoor enclosure

565
00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:04,680
in the back garden
of volunteer Jenny.

566
00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:09,120
What she's doing now is literally...
Her nose is going mental.

567
00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:11,480
So she's kind of
just scent-mapping,

568
00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:14,720
and this is awesome because
we never get to see this bit

569
00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:16,480
because it's always at dusk.

570
00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:19,000
Yeah, yeah. When she arrived

571
00:28:19,120 --> 00:28:22,720
and she was this little ball
of tremors and...

572
00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:26,840
it was awful to watch and now
she's come to this amazing space

573
00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:28,680
and she's going to love it.

574
00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:31,440
She's having so much fun, so it's...
it's just amazing.

575
00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:38,320
Years ago, it was common to spot
a hedgehog in your garden,

576
00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:43,400
but now it's thought nearly half of
us have never seen one on our lawn.

577
00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:47,560
But encouraging hedgehogs to visit
is easier than you might think.

578
00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:51,960
Ali North is one of only four
hedgehog officers in the UK

579
00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:55,280
and an expert on making gardens
hedgehog-friendly.

580
00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:58,160
Hedgehogs are undergoing
really concerning declines

581
00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:00,680
but managing gardens
for wildlife, for hedgehogs,

582
00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:04,320
is a really easy way that we can try
and improve the situation for them.

583
00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:07,440
So you can see there's, um,
some nice log piles

584
00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:10,400
which are going to be great for
encouraging all the invertebrates

585
00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:12,200
that hedgehogs are going to be
eating.

586
00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:14,680
And you can pile them up
in a sort of quite jumbled way

587
00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:17,480
and they can also be really good
for their nesting as well,

588
00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:19,960
cos hedgehogs like to have
that sort of structure

589
00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:21,400
to build their nests under.

590
00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:25,080
Solid fences and walls are a factor
in hedgehog decline

591
00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:29,200
as they block hogs from roaming
the distances they need
to forage for food.

592
00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:31,920
So you can see here
a hole in the fence,

593
00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:33,800
labelled with a hedgehog highway
plaque

594
00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:35,880
and this is one of
the most important things

595
00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:37,680
everyone can do to help hedgehogs.

596
00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:41,560
Because an average hedgehog
might roam

597
00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:43,840
a couple of kilometres in a night,

598
00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:46,720
so they really do need access
to lots of people's gardens.

599
00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:52,720
There's loads of ways you can make
sure hedgehogs can get in.

600
00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:54,520
So just lots of different access
points.

601
00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,480
So gaps under gates, for example,
are another really easy way

602
00:29:57,600 --> 00:30:00,360
of ensuring they can actually
get in to your garden.

603
00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:03,760
One of the biggest threats
to hedgehogs

604
00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:05,960
is commonplace
in many of our gardens.

605
00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:08,200
Chemicals, pesticides,
slug pellets,

606
00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:11,320
things like that are generally
going to be pretty bad for hedgehogs

607
00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:13,680
because they are killing
all the invertebrates

608
00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:16,200
that they are relying on.

609
00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:18,920
Avoiding those is definitely
going to help them.

610
00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:23,320
So ensuring that they do have access
to gardens, um,

611
00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:26,360
and having these, er, wild areas
that are going to, er,

612
00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:29,000
be creating feeding and nesting
habitats for them

613
00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:30,840
is an amazing and a really easy way

614
00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:34,400
for everyone to help
our local hedgehog populations.

615
00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:40,120
Back with the Amazing Grace team,
there's good news.

616
00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:44,000
The little hog that Anne rescued
yesterday made it through the night

617
00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:46,360
and they've been able to tell
that it's a boy.

618
00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:48,920
Right, this is the little fella
we picked up yesterday

619
00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:50,280
and we've named him Claude.

620
00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:51,920
His prickles are
a lot calmer now.

621
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:54,720
As you can see, as soon as
you stroke him,

622
00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:57,200
he's unfolding, then curling.

623
00:30:57,280 --> 00:30:58,920
Quite cute, isn't he?

624
00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:01,960
And you can see his little
beady eyes if you look in there.

625
00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:04,720
We still have a problem
with his front paw

626
00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:06,640
so we're going to pop him
into the vet's

627
00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:09,360
and have him X-rayed
to see what's going on there,

628
00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:12,080
but in every other way
he's looking really well.

629
00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:14,120
He's beautifully round now,
so we've lost

630
00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:17,240
all that sunken impression that
we had here and all the dents.

631
00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:20,480
So that is one healthy little hog,
so I'm quite pleased really.

632
00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:22,200
Claude is doing really well.

633
00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:25,080
With such a good response
to his initial treatment,

634
00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:27,760
Anne wants to take Claude
to the vet's right away

635
00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:29,840
so his leg can also get sorted.

636
00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:31,880
Hi, Gill. Hello. How are you?

637
00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,440
Good. What've we got?
I have here a hedgehog.

638
00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:36,280
Mm-hm. His name is Claude.

639
00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:39,760
There seems to be an issue
with his feet. OK.

640
00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:41,040
Has he eaten as well?

641
00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:43,920
He did eat yesterday, yeah,
but only a small amount.

642
00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:48,080
So his jaw looks fine.

643
00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:53,640
They quite often get injuries
to their eyes and ears as well.

644
00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:55,360
He's got a couple of ticks there.
Yeah.

645
00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:57,720
And there's some small ones
just around his eyes.

646
00:31:57,800 --> 00:31:59,400
Yeah, he's covered in ticks.

647
00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:03,840
Ticks can be a real problem
when there's a lot of them anyway

648
00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:06,320
cos they suck blood,
so they can cause anaemia

649
00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:08,440
and debilitating disease, basically.

650
00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:11,400
So we'll just try
and get all of these off him.

651
00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:15,600
Um, it's a bit fiddly
cos these are tiny ones.

652
00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:21,200
OK, we're just going to go through
and feel down each one of the legs

653
00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:24,040
really, and make sure that all
the joints articulate correctly

654
00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:25,840
and there's no obvious fractures.

655
00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:27,560
It feels fine.

656
00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:30,200
Um, it's the left one
you're worried about, yeah?

657
00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:33,000
Yeah, it is, but he's not moving
properly at the front

658
00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:34,760
and I did wonder about both of them.

659
00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:36,160
He was found by the side of the road

660
00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:38,000
so he could have been tumbled
or something.

661
00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:41,760
There does look like there's some
redness over both of his elbows.

662
00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:43,160
Um, maybe just bruising.

663
00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:48,720
Um, but, yeah, I think let's take
X-rays of the whole body and see.

664
00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:51,240
If Claude did take a tumble
from a car,

665
00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:55,040
having just a damaged leg makes him
one lucky hog.

666
00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:56,960
Road traffic accidents claim

667
00:32:57,080 --> 00:33:00,080
tens of thousands of hedgehog lives
every year.

668
00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:02,000
OK. So this is his good leg.

669
00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:03,640
This is his bad leg.

670
00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:06,440
Um, I think there is a little
fracture line here... Yeah.

671
00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:08,480
..in the ulna of his bad leg,

672
00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:11,680
but it's well aligned,
and I'd be inclined

673
00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:16,640
just to cage-rest him and put him
on painkillers and let it heal.

674
00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:18,720
We can use some of the dog
and cat drugs that we use

675
00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:20,120
and they're really effective.

676
00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:22,840
These creatures
are amazingly robust.

677
00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:24,640
I mean, they just get on with it,

678
00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:27,480
but, yeah, we'll make sure
he's comfortable. Bless him.

679
00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:38,960
As night falls over Amazing Grace,
the hedgehogs' day begins.

680
00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:43,080
A good scoff is high
on a hog's agenda

681
00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:46,520
and their forever-twitching
nose can sniff dinner out

682
00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:48,920
3cm below the surface.

683
00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:52,040
If they're lucky,
they can chomp their way

684
00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:54,200
through 100 caterpillars a night.

685
00:33:54,320 --> 00:33:57,640
This chap, however,
has love on his mind.

686
00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:02,040
He circles the female,
making snorting and puffing noises,

687
00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:05,680
and gives her the odd nudge,
all in an attempt to woo her.

688
00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:13,240
But she's going to make Casanova
work hard for her attentions.

689
00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:15,400
It's going to be a long old night
for him.

690
00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:22,600
If you want to watch
a hedgehog's secret life,

691
00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:24,200
you need to stay up late,

692
00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:27,600
and Anne does just that
in the bottom of her garden.

693
00:34:27,720 --> 00:34:30,920
Anne's rigged her garden
with cameras and she camps out

694
00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:34,040
in her garage watching
what the hedgehogs get up to.

695
00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:36,920
Oh, look at this.

696
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:38,480
Come and join me. Take a seat.

697
00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:41,360
You've got your own
hog-spotting hideaway.

698
00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:43,120
Oh, thank you. My own bucket.

699
00:34:43,240 --> 00:34:46,040
Perfect.
Doesn't everyone do this at night?

700
00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:47,520
Um, no.

701
00:34:47,640 --> 00:34:50,600
You spend all day at work
looking after hedgehogs

702
00:34:50,720 --> 00:34:53,600
and then you come home,
and you come out to your shed

703
00:34:53,680 --> 00:34:55,160
and you watch more hedgehogs?

704
00:34:55,240 --> 00:34:57,520
Yeah, I do, but these are wild ones.

705
00:34:57,640 --> 00:34:59,280
This is an amazing set-up
you've got here.

706
00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:01,200
How many cameras have you got
in your garden?

707
00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:02,920
I've got seven cameras out there.

708
00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:04,280
Six are in nesting boxes

709
00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:07,360
and then one is on this
sort of vegetable patch area.

710
00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:10,520
This is like Big Brother
but for hedgehogs.

711
00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:13,640
Yeah. It probably is a little bit
like that, but I love it.

712
00:35:13,720 --> 00:35:15,400
Oh, look. Oh, yes.

713
00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:17,600
Oh, there we go.
Yeah, that's a hedgehog.

714
00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:18,960
That's a hedgehog.

715
00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:21,920
It's going into the pond.

716
00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:25,280
Yeah. The pond, it's about, sort of,
two or three inches deep

717
00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:27,880
but it's so overgrown here,
you can walk on it.

718
00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:30,800
I do put bowls out, but they seem
to prefer this water.

719
00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:32,800
That seems to be
quite a popular thing with them.

720
00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:34,120
Do you think it's drinking?

721
00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:37,000
Yeah. They drink and sometimes
they find little insects.

722
00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:40,520
That's really interesting. I guess
this really proves

723
00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:43,440
what you were saying about the fact
that a lot of the hedgehogs

724
00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:46,840
that come in this time of year
are dehydrated.

725
00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:48,400
Mmm. They're thirsty.

726
00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:50,920
They need a water source
and I guess, you know,

727
00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:54,320
you're kind of seeing here. They
definitely drink a lot of water.

728
00:35:54,440 --> 00:35:57,320
Do you do anything else
to encourage the hedgehogs in?

729
00:35:57,400 --> 00:35:59,280
Do you feed them? Yeah, I do

730
00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:01,440
and I've started feeding
right through the year.

731
00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:03,000
So I'll use cat food and dog food.

732
00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:06,440
I tend to use the biscuits
rather than the sticky foods

733
00:36:06,560 --> 00:36:09,280
and I do use meat
and peanuts too.

734
00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:11,080
Interestingly, you can have food out

735
00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:14,280
but they'll still eat all the bugs
and they'll still be foraging.

736
00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:17,320
So it's a supplement,
if anything? Yes.

737
00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:20,600
Oh, look. Oh, we have another one.
There's another one here.

738
00:36:20,720 --> 00:36:24,120
This one's followed almost exactly
the path of the other one.

739
00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:25,840
Do think he can follow her scent?

740
00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:28,120
That's definitely what's happening.

741
00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:29,240
Definitely. Wow.

742
00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:32,520
Because, I mean, they are
so driven by their sense of smell,

743
00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:35,280
aren't they, and it was
absolutely precise.

744
00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:37,960
It wandered the exact trail
of the other, didn't it?

745
00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:40,120
Interesting.
That's really interesting.

746
00:36:40,240 --> 00:36:42,640
Well, I guess we're in
breeding season, aren't we?

747
00:36:42,720 --> 00:36:44,680
Yeah. So what's happening here?

748
00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:47,480
Well, so the larger animal
has come right down,

749
00:36:47,600 --> 00:36:50,400
alongside the smaller one
that was in place before.

750
00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:53,920
I mean, it looks like courtship.
Might have a new romance. Yeah.

751
00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:56,440
Yeah. Ooh!
That was a bit of a splash.

752
00:36:56,560 --> 00:36:59,920
Has he fallen off the ladder? His
little leg's kicking up in the air!

753
00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:02,280
THEY LAUGH

754
00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:04,160
Oh, that's wonderful.

755
00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:06,200
Hope he's going to be better
at mating

756
00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:08,080
than he is at walking
down the ladder.

757
00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:10,880
OK. All right, I admit it.

758
00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:13,160
I'm converted. I'm totally hooked.

759
00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:16,600
I thought you were completely crazy
to begin with, but this is it.

760
00:37:16,720 --> 00:37:18,640
I'm setting up my own garage
with a hedgehog cam.

761
00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:20,320
It's amazing, isn't it?
It's fantastic.

762
00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:22,280
The things that are
out in your garden at night.

763
00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:24,800
So, depending on how receptive
the female is,

764
00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:28,920
these things can go on for a very,
very long time and right now,

765
00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:31,200
I think she's playing hard to get.

766
00:37:31,320 --> 00:37:33,760
Not surprisingly,
he's given up for the night.

767
00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:37,120
I think food is more important
than his libido right now.

768
00:37:46,140 --> 00:37:48,940
The hedgehog's been around
for at least 15 million years

769
00:37:49,060 --> 00:37:52,020
and has been voted the UK's
favourite wild animal.

770
00:37:52,140 --> 00:37:55,180
Looking at this little guy,
it's not hard to see why.

771
00:37:55,300 --> 00:37:58,020
It's time for us to start thinking
about how best to protect

772
00:37:58,140 --> 00:38:00,380
this vulnerable, valuable
little creature.

773
00:38:01,500 --> 00:38:03,100
At Amazing Grace in Windlesham,

774
00:38:03,220 --> 00:38:06,260
it's been a few days since
they rescued hedgehog Claude.

775
00:38:06,380 --> 00:38:08,740
He was severely dehydrated,
underweight

776
00:38:08,860 --> 00:38:11,220
and had a small fracture
to his right leg,

777
00:38:11,340 --> 00:38:13,620
so I've come to check
on his progress.

778
00:38:13,740 --> 00:38:16,420
So this is Claude.
He's doing incredibly well.

779
00:38:16,540 --> 00:38:18,780
He's eating really well.
His weight's up.

780
00:38:18,860 --> 00:38:20,380
Obviously his leg is still broken,

781
00:38:20,500 --> 00:38:23,380
so we're going to X-ray him next
week to make sure that that's fusing

782
00:38:23,460 --> 00:38:24,860
and in the right position.

783
00:38:24,980 --> 00:38:28,100
He's walking pretty well
on the other three legs

784
00:38:28,220 --> 00:38:32,140
and he's feeding properly.
So Claude was 320g when he came in

785
00:38:32,260 --> 00:38:35,380
which is way too light.
Shall we see where he is now?

786
00:38:36,740 --> 00:38:39,620
Here we go. So he's put on 60g.

787
00:38:39,700 --> 00:38:42,060
386. I'm really pleased with that.

788
00:38:42,180 --> 00:38:44,580
It may not sound like much
but that's, kind of,

789
00:38:44,700 --> 00:38:47,020
15% of his body weight, isn't it?
Mmm. Massive difference.

790
00:38:47,140 --> 00:38:49,740
That's massive in a week.
What a transformation.

791
00:38:49,820 --> 00:38:51,740
Just the condition of his spines

792
00:38:51,860 --> 00:38:54,540
and the fact that the eyes
don't seem so recessed any more.

793
00:38:54,660 --> 00:38:57,180
I mean, he just looks like
a healthy hog now.

794
00:38:57,260 --> 00:38:58,580
Yeah. He looks incredible.

795
00:38:58,700 --> 00:39:00,940
I mean, last week
he was really in a bad way.

796
00:39:01,020 --> 00:39:02,500
So this is like a classic case of

797
00:39:02,620 --> 00:39:05,620
a little bit of intervention
can change everything for him.

798
00:39:05,700 --> 00:39:06,900
That is fantastic.

799
00:39:09,980 --> 00:39:14,100
And Claude isn't the only hog who,
under Anne's care, is thriving.

800
00:39:14,220 --> 00:39:17,420
It's been two weeks since
baby Natalie arrived at the centre

801
00:39:17,500 --> 00:39:20,140
and she's doubled in size.

802
00:39:20,220 --> 00:39:22,180
She's such a beautiful creature.

803
00:39:22,260 --> 00:39:23,940
Today, she has a visit from Brian.

804
00:39:24,060 --> 00:39:26,620
So Anne, how are we doing?
How is Natalie?

805
00:39:26,740 --> 00:39:29,700
She's doing really well now.
She's quite feisty.

806
00:39:29,780 --> 00:39:31,580
She's got loads of attitude.

807
00:39:31,660 --> 00:39:33,340
Whoa. She's got lots of energy.

808
00:39:33,460 --> 00:39:36,140
Yeah, fantastic. Very different
to that little baby that came in.

809
00:39:36,260 --> 00:39:38,180
She's very chubby
and if she wasn't so chubby,

810
00:39:38,260 --> 00:39:39,700
she'd be able to curl up properly.

811
00:39:39,820 --> 00:39:42,060
So she can kind of curl
a little bit.

812
00:39:42,140 --> 00:39:43,940
Her eyes are open now

813
00:39:44,060 --> 00:39:46,780
and you can see she's constantly
twitching her nose,

814
00:39:46,900 --> 00:39:49,580
looking for food,
smelling for things.

815
00:39:49,700 --> 00:39:51,620
She's starting to look like
a mini adult.

816
00:39:51,700 --> 00:39:53,420
A little bit shaky on the back legs

817
00:39:53,540 --> 00:39:55,900
but just because
she's learning to walk. Yeah.

818
00:39:56,020 --> 00:39:58,620
They're very rubbery at the moment,
as you can see.

819
00:39:58,700 --> 00:40:01,380
Bit like elastic bands in some ways.

820
00:40:01,460 --> 00:40:03,340
Oh!

821
00:40:03,460 --> 00:40:07,020
Natalie arrived at the centre
just days old after being found

822
00:40:07,140 --> 00:40:10,940
under a railway sleeper, and her
survival hung in the balance.

823
00:40:11,060 --> 00:40:13,300
She's going to make it now
and we weren't sure, were we?

824
00:40:13,420 --> 00:40:15,380
No. It was really touch-and-go
at the beginning.

825
00:40:15,500 --> 00:40:17,740
It's funny when you think.
She looks quite defenceless

826
00:40:17,860 --> 00:40:21,180
but you then think, "How long is
the human baby defenceless?"

827
00:40:21,260 --> 00:40:23,300
About 50 times as long.

828
00:40:23,420 --> 00:40:26,700
So, left to their own devices,
without anything bothering them,

829
00:40:26,820 --> 00:40:29,420
they're very well adapted
to surviving.

830
00:40:30,580 --> 00:40:34,700
Up until now, Anne's been feeding
Natalie every two-and-a-half hours

831
00:40:34,820 --> 00:40:37,620
but her sleepless nights
may soon be over.

832
00:40:37,740 --> 00:40:40,420
I'm really excited cos today
she's eaten for the first time.

833
00:40:40,540 --> 00:40:44,260
Hurrah! So hopefully tonight
I will get a few hours' sleep

834
00:40:44,380 --> 00:40:47,140
and the next few weeks,
we'll see her eating properly

835
00:40:47,220 --> 00:40:48,500
and then she'll be gone.

836
00:40:48,580 --> 00:40:50,300
She's only here for a short window

837
00:40:50,420 --> 00:40:54,060
and it has been sleepless and
it's very tiring, but so worth it.

838
00:40:55,220 --> 00:40:58,740
So worth it. So, Anne,
what's the plan with Natalie now?

839
00:40:58,860 --> 00:41:02,300
She's about another week-and-a-half
to two weeks weaning her,

840
00:41:02,380 --> 00:41:04,660
so her diet will change quite a lot.

841
00:41:04,780 --> 00:41:07,100
And then we'll start putting her
outside during the day

842
00:41:07,220 --> 00:41:09,460
until she starts getting used
to the temperature.

843
00:41:09,580 --> 00:41:11,860
In a run? Yeah, in one of the runs
that are here,

844
00:41:11,980 --> 00:41:15,020
and within about six weeks
she'll be out there permanently.

845
00:41:16,620 --> 00:41:18,780
She'll go back to the wild.
She may stay on this estate.

846
00:41:18,860 --> 00:41:20,620
They're all wild here.

847
00:41:20,740 --> 00:41:22,980
What do you think?
Shall we keep her?

848
00:41:23,100 --> 00:41:25,820
She might enjoy the vegetable patch.
She'd love the veggie patch.

849
00:41:25,940 --> 00:41:28,220
I think she would. I think
that's where she should go,

850
00:41:28,340 --> 00:41:31,260
but she'll definitely be going back
to the wild, where she belongs,

851
00:41:31,380 --> 00:41:34,580
where she should be.
You are very, very cute, you are.

852
00:41:34,660 --> 00:41:36,540
You're a very good advert

853
00:41:36,660 --> 00:41:39,420
for looking after
Britain's hedgehogs, I think.

854
00:41:39,540 --> 00:41:42,140
I don't think anyone could
resist you, little Natalie.

855
00:41:45,860 --> 00:41:47,740
Natalie still has
some growing to do

856
00:41:47,860 --> 00:41:49,660
before she's ready
to go it alone,

857
00:41:49,780 --> 00:41:53,100
but for one chap, the time has come
for him to return home.

858
00:41:54,460 --> 00:41:56,060
Hey, Nigel. How're we going?

859
00:41:56,180 --> 00:41:59,740
Good, thanks, Steve. Yes, er...
Wow! He's looking great.

860
00:41:59,820 --> 00:42:01,020
This is Ernie.

861
00:42:02,180 --> 00:42:05,900
Ernie is one round, happy,
healthy-looking hog.

862
00:42:05,980 --> 00:42:07,780
Look at that. Oh, he's heavy.

863
00:42:07,860 --> 00:42:09,140
He is. He is.

864
00:42:09,260 --> 00:42:11,580
He's, er...
I think he's around 800g.

865
00:42:11,700 --> 00:42:15,500
800g? So he's a really good weight
for a male hedgehog.

866
00:42:15,620 --> 00:42:17,940
He's been with us
for three or four months now.

867
00:42:18,060 --> 00:42:21,820
He actually came in with a bad leg.
He also had ringworm.

868
00:42:21,940 --> 00:42:24,180
One or two other things
when he arrived with us.

869
00:42:24,300 --> 00:42:28,100
So he's had an awful lot of trials
and tribulations over the winter

870
00:42:28,180 --> 00:42:29,940
but as you see, now he's a fit

871
00:42:30,060 --> 00:42:33,340
and healthy-looking hedgehog
who's getting ready to go back home.

872
00:42:33,460 --> 00:42:35,740
And that is what
this is all about.

873
00:42:35,860 --> 00:42:38,140
Absolutely.
This is everything we do it for.

874
00:42:38,220 --> 00:42:39,540
Every hog in here.

875
00:42:39,660 --> 00:42:42,580
You know, it's Ernie's day today
but they'll all get their day.

876
00:42:42,660 --> 00:42:44,860
Today is Ernie's day

877
00:42:44,940 --> 00:42:46,500
as a dribble of snot

878
00:42:46,580 --> 00:42:48,540
trickles off his nose.

879
00:42:48,660 --> 00:42:51,580
You have no idea of the gravitas
of the situation, do you, Ernie?

880
00:42:51,660 --> 00:42:52,620
Seriously.

881
00:42:54,660 --> 00:42:57,140
If possible, the team likes
to release the hogs

882
00:42:57,260 --> 00:43:00,100
back to where they were found,
and luckily for Ernie,

883
00:43:00,220 --> 00:43:02,620
his hog habitat has been
thoroughly checked

884
00:43:02,740 --> 00:43:04,980
and passes
as the perfect environment.

885
00:43:05,060 --> 00:43:06,860
Right.

886
00:43:06,940 --> 00:43:08,780
The moment Ernie's been waiting for.

887
00:43:08,860 --> 00:43:10,380
Yeah, me too.

888
00:43:10,500 --> 00:43:12,740
Nigel, do you mind
if I do the honours? No.

889
00:43:13,900 --> 00:43:15,100
There he is.

890
00:43:17,140 --> 00:43:19,580
So Nigel, Ernie was found
no more than a stone's throw away

891
00:43:19,700 --> 00:43:21,980
from where we are right now?
No, really local to here.

892
00:43:22,100 --> 00:43:24,100
So it's the ideal thing
to put them back

893
00:43:24,220 --> 00:43:26,100
into the habitat
where they've come from.

894
00:43:26,220 --> 00:43:29,020
It's an ideal environment here
because we have cover.

895
00:43:29,140 --> 00:43:31,180
We have leaf litter.
We have things like that,

896
00:43:31,300 --> 00:43:33,900
so it's going to be a perfect place
for him to snuffle around,

897
00:43:34,020 --> 00:43:36,740
get his bearings and, you know,
he'll get back into

898
00:43:36,860 --> 00:43:38,860
what was his old life
very, very soon.

899
00:43:38,980 --> 00:43:40,740
I feel like I've seen
the whole story now.

900
00:43:40,820 --> 00:43:42,220
I've seen them come in injured.

901
00:43:42,340 --> 00:43:45,220
I've seen them being treated and now
I get to see the real diamond.

902
00:43:45,340 --> 00:43:47,420
This is the bit
that really makes it, yeah,

903
00:43:47,540 --> 00:43:50,460
and then encourage other people
to really appreciate hedgehogs

904
00:43:50,540 --> 00:43:51,860
and love them as much as we do.

905
00:43:51,980 --> 00:43:54,620
I think, over the course
of working here,

906
00:43:54,740 --> 00:43:56,980
I've learnt so much about hedgehogs,
you know,

907
00:43:57,100 --> 00:44:01,580
really they have stolen a piece of
my heart, and it's not surprising.

908
00:44:01,700 --> 00:44:04,620
Hedgehogs are such
a charismatic animal.

909
00:44:04,740 --> 00:44:06,740
They're so lovable,
but they also have

910
00:44:06,860 --> 00:44:09,980
an incredibly important role
to play in the environment,

911
00:44:10,100 --> 00:44:13,540
and their future is very much
in our hands.

912
00:44:13,620 --> 00:44:16,460
OK, Ernie. Time to break free.

913
00:44:24,060 --> 00:44:27,580
Takes a little while for them to
get going but once they kind of...

914
00:44:27,700 --> 00:44:29,660
it's all about smell
and scent with them.

915
00:44:29,780 --> 00:44:32,260
So, as you can see, he's starting
to settle now

916
00:44:32,380 --> 00:44:35,260
and he's looking really...
back home. Mmm.

917
00:44:35,340 --> 00:44:36,660
Perfect.

918
00:44:51,580 --> 00:44:54,540
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