Blonde hedgehogs in Alderney falling sick with unknown illness

There has been an increase in the number of hedgehogs in Alderney experiencing an unidentified illness, a charity has reported.

Kelly Huitson, a registered veterinary nurse with Alderney Animal Welfare Society, said she had been taking care of a "worryingly large number" of very sick hedgehogs.

Some of the hedgehogs have suffered a significant number of ticks along with breathing, neurological, skin and insufficient weight problems, she said.

Although she does not know the cause of the illnesses, Ms Huitson asked anyone using pesticides to check the ingredients are wildlife-friendly.

The blonde hedgehogs are only found on Alderney and North Ronaldsay, an island off the coast of Scotland, Ms Huitson said.

She said the charity is currently working with scientists to find out what makes them blonde, as they are not albino.

Surveys have shown that somewhere between 55-70% of the island's total hedgehog population are blonde, she said, and they appeared to be smaller than the brown hedgehogs.

Ms Huitson said: "The blonde hedgehogs also have a reputation for being much tamer and less flighty than brown hedgehogs in the UK, but this could be due to learning that people often give them food, as residents are keen to preserve our iconic population, or due to the lack of predators."

As Alderney has no foxes or badgers, the biggest threats to hedgehogs are large birds and traffic, she added.

Alderney Animal Welfare is the only veterinary clinic on the island and Ms Huitson said it has a good rate of releasing wildlife which arrived injured or unwell.

She said: "The recent issues with hedgehogs doing poorly is really worrying for us, and we really appreciate donations to the charity for supplies, food and further testing we can do which could shed light on what is causing them not to thrive."