The Ornithology and Nature Society of Hungary (MME) has drawn attention to the protection of hibernating hedgehogs in connection with autumn leaf fall. It was emphasized that leaf piles and rock piles should not be disturbed except in this case for the sake of the mammals.
In the statement of the MME delivered to MTI on Monday, it was written that temporary piles of leaves and branches built up during the arrangement of gardens and parks are a good hiding place for hedgehogs preparing for the winter , whose hibernation begins when the temperature drops permanently below. 8 degrees decreased.
It is important that these pieces of plants are removed by considering the hedgehogs that may move under them.
In the information, attention was paid to the fact that the work should not be started with a pitchfork, but with a hand tool or a longer strong stick, and that the piles should be turned in the base part even more carefully, even with hand, making sure that nothing is under some animal.
It also helps if the piles are broken down in clear layers, moving from top to bottom.
The leaf debris stuck to the spines of the hedgehog that curls up due to the noise makes the animal almost invisible, so when you get to the bottom of the pile, you need to be careful give a sharp to the round shapes, because the curled-up animal often spreads out from the branches and leaves, the announcement says.
Such stones should not be burned locally (from 1 January 2021, local governments will no longer be able to authorize the burning of furs by local order, so this is prohibited by law across the country), because hedgehogs cannot escape from the flames, as their defense strategy is based on curling up, so they burn.
