Kingston University Biodiversity Action Group

Monday, 25 January 2021

10 things for Hedgehogs: Part 1 Litter


All wildlife can get caught up in litter, hedgehogs with their spines come with the added problem of extreme spinal attraction to anything getting caught on them. 

While lots of people know and care about the impacts of litter on wildlife, there are lots who don't know or possibly just don't care as evidenced by the litter we see in our streets, gardens, parks and wild-spaces. Not just external issues where litter can trap and hurt wildlife like hedgehogs, but internally too as an ongoing study about land mammals eating plastics reports (read about it here on the Mammals Society Website).  

We are launching a social media campaign using art to showcase the impacts of our 10 things (in this case litter), on wildlife, especially hedgehogs - we are challenging everyone to take part. 

Draw - Photograph - Sculpt - Act -Mime etc. and post on all platforms. Please tag @HogFriendly @SHkingstonuni and as many different people as possible - ask them to make their own version and then keep spreading the word. Use #Hedgehoghelpers #KUHoglets #HHfacts on all of your posts so that we can try to find them. 

Lets try to take over social media with #Hedgehoghelpers #HHfacts


Things that you can do to help with the litter problem

    • Take home all of your disposable masks - we all know that proper disposable masks are very effective in helping to protect you while out and about, but they do nothing for wildlife - help wildlife by taking yours home with you to make sure that its cut up and disposed of properly - make sure that you teach the younger members of your family to do the same, so if any break on their way home from school, they don't add to those dumped masks that collect at bus stops during the school run
    • Take part in petitions that look to put pressure on retailers to minimise packaging on products (or make them completely recyclable) to minimise the packaging that you will end up having to recycle, reuse or bin. 
      • https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300152 this one closed and didn't make its target, imagine if it had? we all know that our Parliament likes to make U-turns on things its actually done well #neonicotinoidsU-turn. Then come voting time, they like to make empty promises based on what they think we will vote for, if we kept getting important petitions being brought to Parliament by getting enough people to sign them to get them debated, maybe they would be less inclined to make U-turns on decisions if they think that's what got them voted in, and a U-turn would get them voted out.  
      • https://www.thepetitionsite.com/en-gb/takeaction/231/219/061/ - while closed, you can see clearly impacts of litter on wildlife with this one. 

     

    Until next time

    KU Hoglets

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