Why hedgehogs became active during the day: is this a sign of environmental problems in Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
Hedgehogs, nocturnal animals, are increasingly appearing during the day due to habitat degradation, chemicals in fields, destruction of vegetation, and food shortages. This is a forced change in their daily rhythm for survival, also caused by climate change and heat.
If you see hedgehogs, which are nocturnal creatures, during the day, it's an alarming sign. Increasingly, these predators come out to forage during the day due to habitat degradation. Chemicals in fields, destruction of vegetation, heat, and lack of food force animals to break their daily rhythm to survive. Roman Gezha, a communicator and member of the NGO "Ekoltava," told UNN about this.
According to him, hedgehogs usually wake up when it gets dark and go looking for food: slugs, chafers, beetles. So when they are spotted during the day, it is at least concerning.
Roman emphasizes that sometimes this is a completely natural phenomenon. For example, a female with cubs may move them to a new nest if the old one is destroyed. Or a young hedgehog that is still learning to live independently may also sometimes move during the day. But such behavior increasingly signals a disruption in the environment.
The destruction of vegetation, chemicals in the fields, and the general degradation of the landscape reduce the amount of food. Insects are dwindling, the soil is becoming drier, and there are few shelters. Add to this constant noise, night lighting, and development – and here's the picture: hedgehogs change their daily rhythm, adapting to the conditions. They begin to become active not only at night but also in the evening, before dawn, and sometimes even during the day, primarily to find food.
In such a case, according to the ecologist, the daytime rhythm of life is forced, and "climate change only adds fuel to the fire." The specialist explains that heat and droughts dry out the earth, causing dew to disappear, and worms and earthworms become scarce even at night. Meanwhile, the temperature in cities hardly drops after sunset. So the hedgehog goes in search of food and moisture at any time to survive.
To help hedgehogs, it is primarily necessary to take care of their environment, mow the grass less so that the earth does not dry out, and not put up unnecessary fences so that hedgehogs can move freely in search of food. Of course, we are not talking about roads here; if there is no way to safely cross the road, unfortunately, no one will build such infrastructure for hedgehogs; at least we should not destroy their environment.