Animals Hedgehog listed as an endangered species for the first time

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the number of Western European hedgehogs is in sharp decline. It has therefore classified the hibernating hedgehog as "potentially endangered" for the first time in its Red List of Threatened Species.

According to the IUCN, humans are the problem. "In particular, the destruction of rural habitats through the intensification of agriculture, roads and urban development is leading to a decline in the Western European hedgehog," it says. Hedgehogs need better protection.

The Western European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is found in Switzerland, Germany, France, Great Britain, Spain and parts of Scandinavia, among other places. Over the past ten years, the number has declined by between 16 and 33 percent, depending on the country. There is no reliable information on the total number of hedgehogs. Hedgehogs usually only have offspring once a year.

Seven endangerment levels

"Potentially endangered" is level two of the seven-level scale used by the IUCN to assess endangerment. The scale ranges from "not endangered" to "extinct". The Red List has been in existence since 1964 and now includes more than 166,000 animal and plant species, of which a good 46,000 are endangered.

SDA