00:00 Hedgehogs are now endangered. Ten years ago their numbers were thought to be
00:04 around 60 million, currently there are around one and a half million. Each year
00:10 Freshfields Animal Rescue cares for approximately 500 hedgehogs suffering
00:15 from an array of ailments. Many are youngsters found dehydrated and
00:19 wandering around in daylight. So at the moment we have 83 hedgehogs and
00:24 typically throughout the year that can range from 75 to over 100. We work to
00:31 rescue, rehabilitate and re-release hedgehogs throughout the Liverpool and
00:37 Sefton area and the main goal is to just is to help them and get them back out to
00:43 live the lives they're supposed to. Staff at the rescue hand rear many young
00:47 hoglets each year, taking them home each evening whilst they're vulnerable and
00:52 require additional feeds. So sometimes we have complete juveniles come to us born
00:58 and born the day previously and that can be because the mother's been disturbed
01:02 and has abandoned them or something has happened to the mother itself and so
01:08 when we get these baby hogs in they can come in groups of six and they need
01:15 every three hours they need feeding and they need round-the-clock care so us as
01:22 the staff we take them home with us and we're getting up you know every few
01:26 hours in the night to feed them and then as they get older they start needing
01:31 different types of food. It's real specialist care basically. Many hedgehogs
01:36 are victims of road traffic accidents, some suffer burns in bonfires whilst
01:41 many are injured by strimmers, mowers and other garden implements. Hedgehogs also
01:46 suffer from many diseases and infections which can prove fatal if left untreated.
01:51 If there's a hedgehog out during the daytime, nine times out of ten that means
01:56 there's something going on. So if you see a hedgehog out during the day best thing
02:01 to do is contact a wildlife rescue whether it be us or someone in your
02:05 local area and have a discussion with them on whether this hog needs help. All
02:10 hedgehogs are treated by a vet throughout their stay at Freshfields and
02:14 remain at the shelter until they are healthy and large enough to successfully
02:19 hibernate. Many underweight hogs are overwintered and kept warm to prevent
02:24 hibernation. Once the ideal weight has been reached they're placed in an
02:28 outdoor runs to acclimatise before being released back into the wild. So when it
02:35 comes to caring for the animals one of the biggest costs is vet bills. Aside
02:41 from that we're always in need of towels, of food, papers, shredded paper but if
02:47 you wanted to look on our Facebook there's always we're always posting
02:52 about things that specifically we need in that moment. The decline in the
02:56 species has been swift and if action isn't taken we could lose these
03:00 fascinating creatures forever.
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