Ghosts in the Hedgerow: who or what is responsible for our favourite mammals decline

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Conservationist and author of the acclaimed Elegy of a River Tom Moorhouse takes a 360-degree approach to investigating why hedgehog numbers are in freefall and what can be done to protect British wildlife. A body lies motionless on the ground. Small, with a snouty head and covered with spines, it is unquestionably dead before its time. And all of those gathered around the corpse are suspect. So which one of them is responsible for this crime - and for the disappearance of many many thousands of hedgehogs in recent decades Is it the car driver, the badger, the farmer, the gardener .. Who could possibly have it in for a hedgehog In poll after poll they come out top as our favourite mammal. And yet their numbers are estimated to have halved in less than twenty years. Magnifying glass in hand, Tom Moorhouse investigates the evidence. On a vital mission to bring those responsible to justice, prevent further murder and save a species, he uncovers a story full of twists, turns and uncomfortable truths about the trade-offs that exist between humans and wildlife. But he can also see a solution.

Reviews

For those with an interest in endangered species, Tom Moorhouse's Ghosts in the Hedgerow: A Hedgehog Whoddunit is a caring, amiable guide to who (and what) is responsible for the worrying decline ofI this cute mammal. -- Martin Chilton * Independent *
Tom Moorhouse is brilliant at weaving complex ecological ideas into an easily accessible and very entertaining form - Ghosts in the Hedgerow is a delight. -- Hugh Warwick, ecologist and author of A Prickly Affair
Hedgehogs have been with us for millions of years, but they seem to be getting less abundant. How do we know, and why is it happening These are important questions, easy to ask but very difficult to answer. That's partly because the issues are complex, research scanty and hedgehogs are surprisingly difficult to study properly. Tom has written a thorough, but very readable assessment of the challenges posed by the 20th century and what we can do to help the hapless 'Hedgie'. -- Pat Morris, author, and president of the British Hedgehogs Preservation Society
A wonderfully entertaining and intriguing book. The hedgehog has found its champion. -- Tristan Gooley, author of The Walker's Guide to Outdoor Clues and Signs and How to Read Water
Jaunty, scholarly, hugely entertaining, wise, deadly serious and downright fun ... A triumph. -- Charles Foster, author of Cry of the Wild, Being a Human and A Little Brown Sea

Author Bio

Dr Tom Moorhouse is a conservation research scientist who has worked for twenty years at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, part of Oxford University's Biology Department. His work has focussed on the conservation ecology of water voles, the management of signal crayfish, hedgehog conservation and the impacts of wildlife tourism. He is the author of Elegy for a River and also award-winning children's fiction. He lives with his wife and daughter in Oxford.