So this is a slight tangent on the principal theme of the petition but one I think worth considering.

I was shocked to discover that nearly 60 million pheasants and red-legged partridges are released into the wild each year. I knew that shooting for pleasure was big business, but the scale of it took me by surprise. Because this means that the biomass of these two species exceeds the biomass of ALL our wild birds.

This has a massive impact on the ecosystems into which they are released - so much so that a campaign has been launched calling for a Judicial Review. Wild Justice, who have taken this action, is an impressive collaboration between Chris Packham, Ruth Tingay and Mark Avery - it says a lot about the state of the nation's nature protecting agencies that it has to be individuals who step in to challenge damaging activity. 

But how does it impact hedgehogs? Pheasants are effective predators - and not native (despite being ubiquitous). They originated in Asia and were introduced to the UK in - well, it is arguable, but certainly by the 15th century. However, they were pretty much extinct until the rise of commercial hunting in the 19th century.

As their popularity rose so did a version of canned hunting (so much derided when it is someone killing a drugged up lion in Africa) - with millions being bred for release to the October guns. Clearly these birds need to eat, and are provisioned by the shoots to keep close. But that is not all they eat. They eat macro invertebrates and reptiles and will tend to feed along hedgerows.

And this is where I get the hedgehogs into the argument - we know where hedgehogs are (thanks to, for example, the Big Hedgehog Map) - and I am sure there are records of shoots. I would suggest that where there are lots of pheasants there are few hedgehogs. Food is one of the main factors forcing rural hedgehog populations down (and yes, I know, badgers also have an impact - it is well researched ... I put that in as someone will always pipe up and try to impress with their insight). 

The analysis has yet to be done - but I think it would be surprising if hedgerows stripped of hedgehog food were not contributing to the inability of hedgehogs to thrive and move in the rural landscape. At this point I must thank the wonderful writer/journalist Amy-Jane Beer for suggesting this link. 

The Hedgehog Highways we are calling for in this petition are just just the start. If hedgehogs are going to thrive we need to ensure that the wider landscape is connected - that obstacles are removed and that the corridors are safe. Our hedgerows, so much a feature of the countryside, are down 300,000km from their maximum - and 60% of those that remain are in poor condition - stripped of structure and food. And part of the problem is the 60 million competitors released each year.

Due to the nature of this update I have included a totally unrelated image ... who remembers these adverts?? I asked the Cotes du Rhone PR team for permission to use the image in my book on the iconography of hedgehogs - they said yes and then sent me three bottles of delicious wine ...