You have inadvertently had an introduction to the way my brain works … in the previous update I had planned to write what I am about to do now - but got distracted by Arman’s life (if you did not read it, please do) …
Back to the story that Jonny and Karolina set me onto - they had rescued a hedgehog in Ukraine and did not know where to turn. Previously I had offered advice, despite being aware that this is a different species - Erinaceus roumanicus - same genus though and very similar … oh, I say that but when you look at these photos you will see where they get their name from - ‘white-breasted’.
They had found the Arman Soldin Memorial First Private Hedgehogery (now that is thanks to google translate and maybe there are different versions. Follow the link and if you speak Ukrainian then let me know!!) - the name of which caused my tangent in the last piece!
I got in touch with the rescue and began a conversation, facilitated by the aforementioned google translate, with Khanna-Solomiia Urahan - one of the team.
The rescue was started 8 years ago by Kyrylo Taler and Anastasia Bondarenko. They had found a sick hedgehog - that was all in took - just the one! Three years later Khanna-Solomiia joined them.
They are based in Kyiv, but there are branches all over the country. ‘We share our experience,’ Khanna-Solomiia explained, ‘and giving them advice regarding hedgehogs. Everything works with the help of the charity that is funded mostly by people online and occasionally by some foundations.’
I was very interested in the fact that people are obviously still working to protect animals, in the face of an invasion and so much death and destruction.
‘Surprisingly, people didn't stop helping us,’ he said, ‘because a lot of Ukrainians understand the necessity of wildlife and even in situation of war they are protecting the environment.’
His colleague, Kyrylo told a writer from Rubryka that, ’People in difficult circumstances rescue hedgehogs because it's a way to hold on when the world is falling apart around you. You do something useful that makes you feel like you control something. It's a little bit of a positivity. It may seem that your life is almost ruined, but you still try to care about some animal and not go crazy.’
That is something that should give us all cause for hope - empathy and compassion should not be restricted to just our own species - in the same way it should not be restricted to our own country, or family. Don’t be greedy with love and caring.
‘War affects wildlife, and hedgehogs particularly in a bad way,’ Khanna-Solomiia continued. ‘Explosions and fires are a major cause of death to the animals. Even loud noises can cause a heart attack of the hedgehogs. And, of course, a lot of land where wild animals lived, is now covered in mines or burned to the ground. So, war affected the habitats and the state of wildlife.’
So far this year they have had 128 hedgehogs through their doors, most of them have been successfully rehabilitated and release into the wild. For those that survive but cannot thrive in the wild, they are looking for homes that will take them on. And they don’t just rehabilitate - they have also given more than 500 online consultations for people who have found injured hedgehogs and want to try and help them.
I asked about helping them - how can we donate? And the answer was not simple … they have been stung by scammers in the past, so they request that you private message through their Facebook page - and then they can send you their PayPal details.
After starting me on this story Jonny also found his curiosity dragging him away from his work - and his descended into a rabbit hole - or rather hedgehog hole - that resulted in this wonderfully unexpected reimagining of the hedgehog - though also an indicator of the value with which the animal is held in Ukraine. Hedgehogs are the face of the country’s Sadochok Juice (even if that is not a Ukrainian hedgehog!)
The fact that hedgehogs are a part of the culture of Ukraine is a wonderful thing. They are such a special animal - and they punch well above their weight and are stronger and better defended that you might expect.
Delighted to read this! Thanks for sharing!
Well done to these amazing people. ❤️