The UK hedgehog has been in the news for a while due to its dwindling population, which has fallen by 30-75% since 2000. In fact, these beloved animals are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and have been categorized as at risk of extinction in Britain. It is believed the UK now houses fewer than one million hedgehogs.

Thus, a wildlife expert is urging households to leave out between 50 and 100g of food for the prickly little charmers, as such acts of kindness could amount to the “difference between life and death.” This message is being received loudly and clearly, as sources like Wales Online and The Mirror have been dutifully spreading it.

This is a very important time of year to extend a helping treat to hedgehogs, since these typically nocturnal friends will soon be going into hibernation mode. This summer proved unfavorable to them for a number of reasons, including drought, pests, the difficulty of nabbing food from modern gardens, and humans taking over their habitats. Gardening chemicals have likewise proved a menace to the hedgehog.

Wildlife Experts Are Urging People to Leave Food Outside to Help Save Hedgehogs

Wildlife expert Sean McMenemy, the founder of Ark Wildlife, cautions that if hedgehogs do not weigh about 600g before entering hibernation, they could die. This means that each hedgehog should plump up to grapefruit size or, hopefully, even bigger. McMenemy recommends that the food be left in a space where hedgehogs will feel sheltered and unthreatened.

Country Living kindly lists the foods you can leave out for hedgehogs, in addition to specially-made hedgehog food that can be purchased online and from select pet stores:

• Plain, meat-based wet dog or cat food NOT including fish varieties
• Cooked, unseasoned chicken, turkey or mince (leftovers work well)
• Tinned meat (in water, not brine or sauce)
• Scrambled or hard-boiled eggs (plain, no salt or milk)
• Crushed dry dog biscuits (in moderation and broken up)

They also note, “Always put out a shallow dish of fresh water alongside any food. And one key rule: never give hedgehogs dairy products (especially milk), bread or sugary foods, as these can make them seriously ill. Similarly, avoid fish varieties of cat food, as this can cause indigestion.”

Creating openings at the bottom of gardens dubbed “hedgehog highways” allows the adorable creatures to travel from garden to garden with ease in search of food. Hedgehogs like to eat invertebrates, so creating conditions in your yard conducive to bugs (by setting up piles of logs, for example) will help them find their natural food sources.

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As we recuperate from Halloween, American families either dread or eagerly anticipate the even more gluttonous holiday that is Thanksgiving. A couple of years ago, we dutifully reported that 46 million turkeys are consumed annually during Thanksgiving meals. But watch the turkey so human that he’ll want to make you think before you gobble up another one of his kind.

Stewart the turkey lives with his loving family, which includes a variety of other animals; and in multiple videos posted by his human caretakers, his love for soccer can clearly be observed. He likes to shake his tail feathers and play with the ball, which has been cutely dubbed his “girlfriend.”

Stewart is not only a regular Erling Haaland but also a real comedian — in one video he spread his feathers, as if courting a pretty female, for a pair of Crocs. Stewart might just be the only intelligent being on the planet who finds Crocs sexy, but it’s always good when a provocateur comes along to challenge public opinion. Stewart, indeed, seems to be interested in aesthetic matters, as he appeared quite entranced by a live painting demonstration.

This Adorable Turkey Loves Playing Soccer, and the Internet Can’t Get Enough

Before Stewart, his family owned a turkey named Lawrence. Lawrence became a viral sensation for making uncouth noises with the help of his human mother… Verily, turkeys make fantastic pets, often kind and sometimes even a little too tolerant. I can add a personal anecdote: The moron running the camp I attended as a child kept a turkey on a leash for all the little brats to play with (or rather, abuse), and that turkey truly displayed the patience of a saint.

All that said, perhaps it just might be better to make friends with turkeys than to roast them. According to a recent study by The Vacationer, as picked up by the likes of Fox News, nearly 35% of Americans apparently dislike turkey as a dish. Still, the tradition sadly persists of having turkey for Thanksgiving, perhaps more as a centerpiece, or something to be pecked around and saved for the trash, than an actual food that anyone at the table enjoys consuming.

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