There are fewer and fewer hedgehogs. Experts fear that the spiny animal will become extinct

The Western European, or other European, hedgehog is classified as a Near Vulnerable species. Experts fear that the hedgehog could completely disappear as a species in the future. About this he says in a press release from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, IUCN).

Western European hedgehog populations have declined in recent years in more than half of the European countries where they live, including the UK, Norway, Sweden , Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria, according to IUCN. As indicated in the press release, overall the number of hedgehogs has decreased by 16-33%. At the same time, in Bavaria, Germany and Flanders, located in Belgium, the decline of this animal species has reached 50%.

Because of these signs, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has changed the hedgehog’s status from “secure” to “near vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List.

The reason for the decline in the number of grains in Western Europe is related to the expansion of urban areas, the use of pesticides and the development of road infrastructure.

In Russia, the European hedgehog lives on the land from the western borders of the country to the Urals. Before that, Fontanka talked about how to behave when he meets hedgehogs.