Spikes and Stripes
Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue is delighted to be working in partnership with
Woburn Safari Park.
The partnership began in July 2024, when the first group of hedgehogs arrived at
Woburn Safari Park for ongoing rehabilitation support.
BRAMBLE LODGE
HEDGEHOG REHABILITATION WARD
Woburn Safari Park provides an important foster care role within the partnership, supporting hedgehogs that are stable but not yet ready for release.
These individuals—often young hoglets—still require time to build weight and strength before returning to the wild.
By taking in a significant number of these hedgehogs, Woburn Safari Park helps to ease pressure on Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue, enabling the charity to focus its time, space, and resources on the most critical and urgent rescue cases.
This collaborative approach ensures that more hedgehogs receive the right level of care at the right stage of their recovery, while also creating capacity for those in immediate need of medical attention and intensive rehabilitation.
Hedgehog care
from stripes to spikes!
The partnership represents an important step forward in helping one of Britain’s most vulnerable native mammals.
Together, Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue and Woburn Safari Park hope to continue making a real difference to hedgehog survival and conservation for years to come.
The dedicated Carnivore Keeper team at Woburn Safari Park, alongside Head of Conservation Katie Chapman, work tirelessly to care for the hedgehogs. Daily routines include health checks, weight monitoring, providing specialist nutrition, and cleaning and refreshing bedding to maintain a safe and comfortable environment.
The collaboration has already seen wonderful success stories, with several rehabilitated hedgehogs now successfully returned to the wild by both the Woburn and DHR team. Each hedgehog has been carefully released into safe gardens with hedgehog houses and suitable shelter to help support their transition back to their natural habitat.
As the seasons change, Bramble Lodge continues to play an important role in hedgehog conservation, with the focus moving from young hoglets in the spring/summer to adult hedgehogs needing support during hibernation in the winter.
