Ghosts in the Hedgerow

Ghosts in the Hedgerow

who or what is responsible for our favourite mammal’s decline

Summary

  • "A triumph of accessible science writing." - Lee Schofield
  • "An intriguing book. The hedgehog has found its champion." - Tristan Gooley
  • "Jaunty, scholarly, wise." - Charles Foster
  • "Any project that highlights the plight of hedgehogs is invaluable." - Tim Rice

In poll after poll hedgehogs come out top as Britain's favourite mammal. And yet their numbers are estimated to have halved in less than twenty years. Why? Who or what is responsible for the disappearance of so many thousands of hedgehogs in recent decades? Is it the car driver, the badger, the farmer, the gardener ..? Tom Moorhouse sets out to investigate the evidence, and in seeking to discover the cause of this loss and how we save the species he uncovers a story full of twists, turns and uncomfortable truths about the trade-offs that exist between humans and wildlife.

And then thankfully he provides solutions. A final chapter, complete with contributions from hedgehog conservation experts, equips the reader with the toolkit required to try and coax our beloved hedgehogs back.

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

About the author

Tom Moorhouse

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.
Learn More

More from this Author

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more