The secret nightlife of Cardiff – The hedgehogs around our campus, and how we can support them

When I first arrived in Cardiff to start my degree, I didn’t expect to find much in terms of wildlife around the city. Other than the odd feral pigeon or brown rat, our city spaces just don’t seem like the sort of place where nature can find a home.

So you can imagine my surprise when a friend showed me a picture she had taken on her way home from a night out. It was a bit dark and a little shaky, but there was no mistaking it. She had spotted a hedgehog. It was heading along past a streetlamp, right next to the Science Library less than half a mile from the city centre. Its back lined with pointy quills, its brown furry face angled down, and its shiny black nose pressed closely to the ground, sniffing and sensing its way through the night. And then, only a couple of nights later, another friend showed me a picture of a hedgehog he had seen up along North Road. I couldn’t believe how many people were seeing hedgehogs in Cardiff!

I was shocked to say the least, but also excited that something like a hedgehog could find a home in such an urban area. And after a bit of research, it turns out that we were not the only ones spotting these prickly neighbours around the city. There is a huge national project taking place, Hedgehog Street, where hedgehog sightings are being mapped onto what’s being called the Big Hedgehog Map. There have been over 135,000 hedgehog records across the UK to date, with just over 1,000 records from the Cardiff area alone. They encourage every hedgehog sighting to be submitted, which is a simple thing to do, and something I will definitely be doing when I’m lucky enough to spot one myself.

It was also a surprise to find out about the Hedgehog Friendly Campus campaign being run at Cardiff University. The giant hedgehog plush caught my eye at the Freshers’ Fair, and after a quick chat with the team I found out about all the work being done to try and make the grounds on campus a haven for our urban hedgehogs. Although hedgehogs are being sighted in our city spaces, they are in a worrying state of decline. There has been a 97% decline in hedgehog populations since the 1950’s, with the IUCN now listing them as vulnerable on the red list for endangered species. Without urgent support, we could see the extinction of hedgehogs in our lifetimes.

But it’s not all doom and gloom just yet. I’ve been getting involved with the Cardiff University Hedgehog Friendly Campus campaign this year, and we’ve been doing some amazing work around campus including building a wildlife pond and bug hotel, which will not only encourage other wildlife back to the campus, but also provide hedgehogs with clean water and a safe space to call home. We have also been surveying the green spaces on campus for hedgehogs, to paint a better picture of how they might be using these areas, and where we can focus our support.

While helping with this work, my perspective about how cities can be used for nature has completely changed. With a few simple steps, we can make our urban areas havens for wildlife. I have been completely blown away by the wildlife encounters I’ve had around Cardiff, and I want to continue to see wildlife thrive across the city, on campus, in our parks, along our street, and in our gardens. We can help wildlife along the way, and a great place to start is getting involved in groups like the Hedgehog Friendly Campus team.

Although I didn’t have high hopes for wildlife in the city at first, I now see Cardiff not just as a space for people, but also a potential oasis for all wildlife. The future can be bright for hedgehogs, we just need to welcome wildlife back into our lives. So, what are you waiting for? Grab a spade, a packet of wildflowers, or even just bring yourself, and join in with the incredible work the Hedgehog Friendly Campus team are achieving here at Cardiff University.