I am sure you have been as shocked by the loss of this one tree as I have. One iconic organism destroyed by an arrogance that is all too common.

We think we are superior - human exceptionalism - we think it gives us the right to destroy whatever we want. The very idea that we are exceptional is at the heart of pretty much all the problems we face as a species - and that we generate for the rest of the planet we share. That ‘special’ feeling we have for us as a species spreads into every corner of life. Men who think they are better than women, skin colour, class, wealth, religion … so much is to be gained by being a little more humble. We as a species are remarkably homogenous - we are all the same. 

Now - if you want to think of something as exceptional, look at this planet - this beautiful blue dot in the vastness of space. The latest estimates put the number of planets in the universe at 70 quintillion (7 followed by 20 zeroes) and this is the only one we know has life. (I am sure there are others - but no evidence has been found, yet.)

What if this is the only planet with life in the universe? Or maybe - here is a thought - what if it is the last planet in the universe with life?

This one tree - it has got me thinking a great deal. We have become very upset by its loss - in the same way the idea of extinction of a species drives us to action. But the extinction of a species - the loss of that one final individual, which generates such outrage - can only happen if millions of other animals or plants are killed beforehand. The loss of that one tree is significant because it encapsulates the loss of all the other trees that used to cover the land. 

So, where am I going with this? I don’t want the last swell of energy that we pour into hedgehogs to come at the close - at the time when we lose the very last one. I don’t want there to be front page photographs of a squashed hedgehog and the story about it being the last one. I want that energy to go into hedgehogs (and obviously, all of nature) right now. 

I want us to use that passion that we might feel at the end right NOW. 

What can we do? This petition continues to grow and present both government and developers with evidence that there are well over a million people who care enough to bother to sign up! And we will continue to push them - I want developers to make hedgehog highways, of course. But now I challenge them - if they want to be seen as the hedgehog’s friend, they need to do more. They need to start to treat the hedgehog as if it had the level of protection that we worked so hard to try and obtain two years ago (getting them on to Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act … I know there is another petition trying this again, though government made it very clear they were not going to allow that to happen.)

This will require developers to check for hedgehogs, and if they find them, to make sure they are not harmed. It will incur costs, but nothing compared to the costs felt by the hedgehogs when the bulldozers move in. 

This idea is in its infancy - I would appreciate your support - ideas etc - if you have any, and use Facebook, could you communicate with the group on there, I find this platform not very easy to chat on!

To finish - first, THANK YOU to the amazing Guy Reece of Striking Faces for letting me use his photograph of the tree - lets hope he does not snap the last hedgehog!

And we have just had world poetry day - or something like that - and I want to remind you about The Last Hedgehog by Pam Ayres. Pam is remarkable - as generous as she is gorgeous (she told me I had to say that!) Let us keep Pam’s poem in the realm of fantasy, please. 

If you would like to see me in action - come to Calstock Arts on 12th October!

And finally - if you have any spare change …