UK wildlife: Have you ever seen a 'blonde' hedgehog?
- Published
- comments
Have you ever seen a blonde hedgehog?
The animal charity Secret World Wildlife Rescue (SWWR) have shared a photo of one that is being looked after in their shelter.
The rare blonde hedgehog, which was has been admitted to a rescue centre in Highbridge, Somerset, weighs just 160 grams and is in need of a bit of looking after.
If you are lucky enough to spot a hedgehog, they are often brown, but European hedgehogs can also be blonde as well.
Meet the girls who rescue hedgehogs
European hedgehogs are also known as common hedgehogs and are native to mainland Europe, and the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Although overall the populations of these creatures are stable, they are decreasing in Great Britain where they are considered to be at risk of local extinction, and the World Wildlife fund says hedgehogs "have declined sharply" in Switzerland over the last 25 years.
Although most of the hedgehogs we see are brown, leucistic or "blonde" hedgehogs occasionally occur.
The hedgehog population in Alderney, Channel Islands is actually around 25% blonde!
Secret World Wildlife Reuse
This hedgehog has a genetic condition known as leucism, which can cause a partial loss of skin pigmentation and creamy-coloured spines.
They are very rare, except on North Ronaldsay and the Channel Island of Alderney.
"Although we don't see many leucistic hedgehogs in mainland Britain, around 25% of the hog population in Alderney on the Channel Islands are of the blonde variety.
"This is not the first leucistic animal we have had at Secret World, last year we admitted a leucistic shrew that was a beautiful silver colour" said SWWR Learning and Engagement Officer George Bethell.