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Sauvons les Hérissons (Save the hedgehogs) charity says numbers have fallen from about 30million in the 1950s to fewer than a million and their life expectancy cut from 10 to just two years. In the next 10 years they will all but disappear from the countryside.

The charity says hedgehogs are in danger from habitat loss, traffic, agricultural machinery, pesticides, pollution and bonfires, but a law intended to help them makes it almost impossible to do so – even if injured.

Laws from 2000 require people to have two years’ supervision from a qualified hedgehog carer, or a vet, and have done a 20-hour training course to be officially allowed to care for ill, injured or orphaned hedgehogs. Hence there are only 19 hedgehog rescue centres in France compared to hundreds in the UK.

The charity is calling on new Environment Min­ister Nicolas Hulot, a well-known TV ecologist, for help through a petition at tinyurl.com/mt9czar