The hedgehog is declining in Sweden - but not in the north: "Have lots of babies"

Since 2021, the species hedgehog has been red-listed in Sweden because the population has decreased sharply over time, according to the Species Data Bank at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

For twelve years until 2020, a reduction of 40 percent has been seen in the hedgehogs.

But the trend looks different in Norrbotten.

- Northern Sweden stands out in a positive way, says Henrik Thurfjell who works with the species database at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala.

"So much hedgehog in Norrbotten"

It all really started with Henrik Thurfjell going on holiday to Sunderbyn in Luleå where he saw hedgehogs on several occasions.

 - When I came back to Uppsala, I asked my colleagues if they had seen any hedgehogs.

Everyone except one who had seen hedgehogs had seen them in Norrbotten.

Then I started thinking about why we have a reduction in Sweden, but see so much hedgehog in Norrbotten, says Henrik Thurfjell.

The reporting also differs from north to south.

- The proportion of reported hedgehogs is constantly increasing from Northern Sweden while they are decreasing in the rest of Sweden.

Implanted hedgehogs in the 30s

In the early 1930s, pine cones were planted in a couple of places in Norrbotten, as they are good pest controllers.

But the stock disappeared.

In the 1940s, new experiments were made and one of the first new litters was discovered on Mjölkudden in Luleå.

And the cones seem to have liked the situation since then, according to Henrik Thurfjell at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Baby boom at SVT's reporter

And that is something that the Olofsson / Larsson family has experienced.

- During the five years we have lived here, we have had hedgehogs on the farm every year.

And this is the second baby litter we have experienced during that time.

Last time we counted seven baby cones.

This time there are four, so we have lots of hedgehog babies both with us and the neighbors, says SVT Norrbotten's reporter Erica Larsson.

Why do you think the Milk Pillow attracts?

- There are many grown-up old gardens, so there are many places to seek protection, such as in piles of leaves and rice piles.

It is not too sterile and newly built either, says Henrik Thurfjell.

Poor badger benefits the cones

What is the reason why the hedgehog is declining in southern Sweden then?

- Many suggest robotic lawnmowers and insecticides, but there are in Norrbotten as well.

But what is available in Norrbotten is badgers and they can break up a hedgehog and eat them.

Another hypothesis is that the hedgehogs occur mainly among the river valleys and if there is a virus, we know that it spreads worse if there is a long distance between the population of hedgehogs.

See the tiny hedgehogs in the pallet collar

Can't you do the opposite now and implant hedgehogs from north to south?

- You can not replant an animal if you do not know why they die from the beginning.

They will only meet the same fate.

In the video, you see the tiny hedgehogs that live under a pallet collar in Luleå.

An old article in Norrländska Socialdemokraten testifies about how the hedgehog was implanted in Norrbotten in the 1930s and 1940s.

Photo: Erica Larsson / SVT