We think they’re adorable.

However, the Irish name for a hedgehog, ‘gráinneog’, means ‘little ugly one’.

Either way, hedgehogs are the star of the show at an upcoming talk and workshop at Fota Wildlife Park and there are a number of important ways you can help protect them, now that their numbers are in decline.

Cork Nature Network is hosting a workshop on how to record hedgehogs at the Fota Wildlife Park Education Centre at 11am on Saturday, August 13th.

While hedgehogs are perceived to be common and widespread, there has been very little research on the species in Ireland to date so there is no data on the size or status of the Irish hedgehog population.

Speaker Elaine O’Riordan, a technician in Zoology at the School of Natural Science, NUI Galway, is conducting research on the ecology of the hedgehog in Ireland as part of her PhD.

“You will be given all the information you need to take part and you can make your own hedgehog footprint tunnel to survey for hedgehogs in the garden at home or school.” a spokesperson told us.

“You can also learn some tips for making your garden more hedgehog friendly.”

Take part in the Irish Hedgehog Survey

A citizen science project designed to gather information about Irish hedgehogs, The Irish Hedgehog Survey 2022 is running until the end of September.

The public is asked to take part in the project by recording hedgehogs wherever you see them or by conducting a hedgehog survey in your garden or local area. There are no special skills required to take part and any interested individuals and groups are welcome to volunteer.

Tickets for Discovering Hedgehogs at Fota are free and available now here. For more information, visit Irishhedgehogsurvey.com