Ghosts in the Hedgerow

who or what is responsible for our favourite mammal’s decline

Tom Moorhouse author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Transworld Publishers Ltd

Published:23rd Mar '23

£16.99

Available for immediate dispatch.

This hardback is available in another edition too:

Ghosts in the Hedgerow cover

  • "A triumph of accessible science writing." - Lee Schofield
  • "An intriguing book. The hedgehog has found its champion." - Tristan Gooley
  • "Jaunty, scholarly, wise." - Charles Foster
  • "Any project that highlights the plight of hedgehogs is invaluable." - Tim Rice


In poll after poll hedgehogs come out top as Britain's favourite mammal. And yet their numbers are estimated to have halved in less than twenty years. Why? Who or what is responsible for the disappearance of so many thousands of hedgehogs in recent decades? Is it the car driver, the badger, the farmer, the gardener ..? Tom Moorhouse sets out to investigate the evidence, and in seeking to discover the cause of this loss and how we save the species he uncovers a story full of twists, turns and uncomfortable truths about the trade-offs that exist between humans and wildlife.

And then thankfully he provides solutions. A final chapter, complete with contributions from hedgehog conservation experts, equips the reader with the toolkit required to try and coax our beloved hedgehogs back.

For those with an interest in endangered species, Tom Moorhouse's Ghosts in the Hedgerow: A Hedgehog Whoddunit is a caring, amiable guide to who (and what) is responsible for the worrying decline ofI this cute mammal. -- Martin Chilton * Independent *
Tom Moorhouse is brilliant at weaving complex ecological ideas into an easily accessible and very entertaining form - Ghosts in the Hedgerow is a delight. -- Hugh Warwick, ecologist and author of A Prickly Affair
Hedgehogs have been with us for millions of years, but they seem to be getting less abundant. How do we know, and why is it happening? These are important questions, easy to ask but very difficult to answer. That's partly because the issues are complex, research scanty and hedgehogs are surprisingly difficult to study properly. Tom has written a thorough, but very readable assessment of the challenges posed by the 20th century and what we can do to help the hapless 'Hedgie'. -- Pat Morris, author, and president of the British Hedgehogs Preservation Society
A wonderfully entertaining and intriguing book. The hedgehog has found its champion. -- Tristan Gooley, author of The Walker's Guide to Outdoor Clues and Signs and How to Read Water
Jaunty, scholarly, hugely entertaining, wise, deadly serious and downright fun ... A triumph. -- Charles Foster, author of Cry of the Wild, Being a Human and A Little Brown Sea

ISBN: 9780857528445

Dimensions: 223mm x 145mm x 27mm

Weight: 376g

272 pages