Much loved . . . but about to be lost? The hedgehog was voted Britain's
favorite animal in 2013, yet numbers in the British countryside have
halved this century. Generations of children have been captivated by
Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-winkle and Romans feted
hedgehogs as weather prophets, yet many cultures routinely consume
hedgehog meat for medicinal uses as varied as alleviating arthritis and
arresting impotence.
Unmistakably--and uniquely, in European terms--garbed in spines, this
mammal is a "gardener's best friend". . . yet one upon which we are
rarely lucky enough to clasp eyes. Hedgehogs have been legally
persecuted for munching the eggs of rare birds, yet the recent
appointment of Britain's first ever "hedgehog officer" was lauded by the
national press. Familiar in appearance yet little known of lifestyle,
the hedgehog is an ideal and iconic subject for Bloomsbury's RSPB
Spotlight series.
Hedgehogs will be a lively, readable, and decadently illustrated
account of one of Britain's most loved but most vulnerable animals.
Separate chapters bring into sharp focus the hedgehog's biology and
lifestyle, from foraging and sociability to defending a territory and
building a nest. The book reveals what a hedgehog is and how it lives,
and how it fits into both the natural (and human) environment and the
wider animal kingdom. Chapters explain how best to find, watch, and help
wild hedgehogs, and how its frankly bizarre body is utterly fit for
purpose. Finally, the book investigates the relationship between
hedgehogs and people--from film and fun to conservation and chips.
