Hibernation - How can you Help Hibernating Animals in the Winter?

You can help hibernating animals by providing them with a cosy place to sleep through the colder months. In Autumn, why not set up a hedgehog house, or build an insect hotel (link).

Before having any garden fires, make sure you check piles of wood for creatures such as hedgehogs that might have crawled inside. Generally, you should only light fires that you have built that day.

If you have a pond, don’t smash any ice that forms on the top, in order to let air through. This can upset hibernating fish and amphibians. You can melt a hole in the ice using an empty, hot pan (getting help from an adult if necessary so that you don’t burn yourself).