German Wildlife Foundation
The hedgehog is the animal of the year 2024
The hedgehog has been voted Animal of the Year 2024. photo
© Jonas Walzberg/dpa
Thousands of quills, loners and hibernators – the hedgehog has been voted animal of the year. He was able to prevail against other cute competition from the city.
It is just 20 centimeters high and has around 6,000 spines: the hedgehog has been voted Animal of the Year 2024. The brown-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), which is widespread in almost all of Germany, was able to clearly prevail against the squirrel and the red fox, said the German Wildlife Foundation. The foundation’s donors voted. They have been doing this since 2017 to draw attention to the endangerment of a wild animal, the threat to its habitat or a human-wildlife conflict.
When it comes to hedgehogs, the main thing is that they find less and less suitable living space. “This means that a wild animal has won the election for Animal of the Year, which every child probably knows – but which is having an increasingly difficult time in our cultural landscape,” said wildlife biologist and foundation board member Klaus Hackländer. Cleaned-up agricultural landscapes in the countryside have replaced the previously common hedges, trees and species-rich poor meadows.
The hedgehog population is gradually decreasing
The hedgehogs would therefore move to the gardens and green spaces in residential areas. According to estimates, there are now up to nine times as many hedgehogs there as in the countryside. Gravel gardens, sealed areas, cars and robotic lawnmowers would make life difficult for the spiny animals here too. The hedgehog is reportedly on the Red List of Mammals Germany is listed in the “advance warning list” category, and its population is gradually decreasing.
If you want to help the nocturnal animal and hibernator, allow wild corners in your garden where hedgehogs can hide, give birth and sleep. Most recently, the animals of the year were the porpoise, otter, mole, deer and wild cat.