I was at Martin Mere recently doing a series of talks on wildlife on behalf of the rescue. Martin Mere is a stunningly beautiful place, one of nine unique wetland visitor centres in the UK run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
I began the day with a talk on hedgehogs. A large crowd had gathered as the event had been widely advertised and I’d brought along a few hedgehogs to show people.
I gathered all the kids to the front and began my talk….a little bit like this…..
Hogs have between 4,000-6,000 spines. During hibernation they lower their breathing rate and slow down the pumping of blood so they don’t need to breath for several minutes. They also lower their body temperature from the usual 25c to as low as 4c then the heart only beats around 20 beats per minute.
The kids were loving it! I became enthused….and continued….
Hogs live up to four years in the wild but up to eight in captivity. Hogs are excellent swimmers but do need a slope to climb out of ponds.
Hogs have up to four babies and they are born pink, spineless, blind and deaf. They open their eyes between 10-14 days and their hearing develops after about 17days. They start to look like real hogs at about three weeks.
They are excellent climbers and can easily climb fences. When they get to the top they roll into a ball and fall to the bottom.
I was on a roll….then I got a hog out and explained that they roll into balls to protect themselves from cats, dogs and foxes….
A little boy, right at the front piped up and in his loudest voice said, “Do you mean they protect themselves from PREDATORS?”
The crowd roared laughing!!! I shrivelled! The moral….never talk down to kids!
