Wild Hogs Hedgehog Rescue follows the guidance from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, RSPCA, Vale Wildlife Hospital and ZSL. Namely:

 

• This collaboration strongly recommends that rescued hedgehogs should be released where they were found whenever possible.

• If this is not possible they should at least be released in the same locality - selecting a reasonably large area of habitat, similar to that from which the hedgehog originated, minimising risks to the released hedgehog and to local populations.

• Healthy hedgehogs should never be released into an enclosed area (however large that enclosure is).

• One patch of land is not suitable for release of multiple rehabilitated hedgehogs unless that is where they orginated.

• Hedgehogs should not be transported long distances for release without exceptional circumstances making it necessary and only if a prior disease risk analysis has been undertaken.

• This advice refers to hedgehogs rescued from where they are native to the land and can legally be released.

• The hedgehogs’ welfare is paramount, and our feelings must be secondary to that. They are wild animals and should never be treated as pets or property.

• Best practice would be to conduct post-release monitoring when possible to inform release strategies

 

Please see the link below for the full statement.

BHPS-Guidance-For-relasing-Rehabilitated-Hedgehogs.pdf (britishhedgehogs.org.uk)

Oct 20, 2021