Overview
- The Berlin-Hermsdorf station is caring for about 80 hedgehogs with roughly 20 more in home care by 15 volunteers, exceeding its 60 stalls and resorting to plastic boxes.
- Rescuers report that what was once an autumn peak has become a constant, year-round influx of weakened or sick animals.
- Closures of nearby facilities have funneled more cases to remaining centers, leaving volunteers overextended and forced to turn some animals away.
- Experts cite habitat loss, insect declines linked to pesticides, climate pressures, traffic, and injuries from garden machinery such as robotic mowers as key drivers.
- The Tierschutzbund and local carers urge people to create garden refuges and to bring hedgehogs to vets or stations only when visibly in need, while advocates press municipalities to provide sites, buildings, or funding for formal rescue capacity.