It’s a proper hive of activity here today, we have Barclays and Darwin Ecology employees here for a corporate volunteering day and they are erecting the walk-in runs and individual pens for our soft release area, getting ready for this coming baby season.
We will place inexperienced juveniles in the pens before they are released to the wild.
The majority of these juveniles will have come to us as orphaned dependent neonates, so will never have spent time in the wild. The soft release area gives us a controlled environment where young or hand-raised hedgehogs can practice essential survival skills, including foraging, hunting, or nesting, without immediate risk.
A soft release involves gradually acclimatising an animal to its natural environment before full release. Typically, the animal is first placed in an enclosure at the release site, where it is provided with food, shelter, and protection while it becomes familiar with the surroundings. Supplemental feeding and monitoring continue until the animal demonstrates the ability to survive independently in the wild.
Soft release is a carefully managed, staged approach to wildlife reintroduction that maximises survival, supports skill development, and ensures a smoother transition from captivity or rehabilitation to full independence in the wild.
Hopefully all will be completed today.
We also had another team from Barclays here on Tuesday, they helped out by building two of the 5m x 3m walk-in pens.
We would like to thank all those that took part, and Elaine for arranging everything.
