Clear Passage for Hedgehogs, Squirrels & Co.
Garden ponds, hedge fences, or basement steps can become insurmountable obstacles for wild animals.
The StadtWildTiere St. Gallen project is running the campaign «Clear Passage for Hedgehogs, Squirrels & Co.» this year.
The goal is to improve the connectivity of our gardens and green spaces for hedgehogs, squirrels, and other small wild animals.
Walls, fences, steps, window wells – residential areas are veritable labyrinths for small wild animals that travel on foot, like hedgehogs and squirrels. Even an obstacle just 25 centimetres high is insurmountable for a hedgehog. This means that even a wildlife-friendly garden may remain out of reach if access is blocked. Squirrels, on the other hand, prefer not to travel on the ground – they like to move from tree to tree. They therefore tend to live in neighbourhoods with many mature trees. Large, open areas without trees thus become insurmountable barriers for these agile climbers.
Freedom of Movement for Wildlife
This is where the current «StadtWildTiere» campaign «Clear Passage for Hedgehogs, Squirrels & Co.» aims to make a difference. Barriers are to be removed, hazards neutralised, and new corridors created for hedgehogs and squirrels. A series of postcards and an information leaflet offer tips on creating a wildlife-friendly living environment and enhancing green spaces. Together with community volunteers, hedgehog passageways and obstacles are mapped to assess the permeability of a given area. Existing and newly created passages can be made visible with small plaques. Those interested can request these from stgallen@stadtwildtiere.ch order and report observations of hedgehog passages on the platform. Information and implementation ideas are also provided by the guides Animals in House and Garden and Nature-Friendly Surroundings from the series «Nature Finds City».
Guided Tours for School Classes
School classes can join guided tours led by hedgehog experts to explore their school grounds or the surrounding neighbourhood from a hedgehog's perspective and search for obstacles and passageways for hedgehogs. Where possible, remedies should be implemented on the spot. On 11 September 2021, WWF St. Gallen invites you to discover a neighbourhood from the hedgehog's point of view on a guided walk.
On the reporting platform stadtwildtiere.ch wildlife sightings can be entered for the entire German-speaking region.
