New signs on roads will alert motorists that they are driving through a hedgehog habitat area. This new Nature Trust project is being sponsored by HSBC Malta Foundation and aims to safeguard these tiny mammals. Hedgehogs are an important animal species on the island and are protected by law.
Referred to as the Algerian or North African Hedgehog (Atelerix algirus), they are native to the Maltese Islands and have no real predators. That said however the number one modern day killer of hedgehogs is the motor car.
The signs form part of a larger Nature Trust project that includes a hedgehog adoption campaign to fund medical and rehabilitation costs of injured or orphaned hedgehogs. Ultimately rehabilitated hedgehogs are released by Nature Trust back into the wild. I
To ensure maximum success of the campaign, staff from HSBC are lending a helping hand to Nature Trust by making use of their ‘Volunteer Leave Day’ initiative.
To rescue a hedgehog, the hotline is 9999 9505. To adopt a hedgehog, information can be obtained at adoptahedgehogmalta@gmail.com.
