The wooden house was covered on top with biodegradable foil and draped with leaves and branches. A wooden sign was placed in front of the house with information about the project. 

In their natural habitat, hedgehogs live up to eight years, unfortunately in cities they rarely exceed the age of two years. Their greatest enemies are cars, urban infrastructure (fences, scarcity of wild bushes and leaves, mowed lawns) and lack of places to shelter. APS, pursuing the ideas of sustainability and social responsibility, has taken steps to provide a safe haven for the hedgehogs present in our neighbourhood.

The house was made with a zero waste mindset - using wood left over from previous projects, biodegradable foil, leaves, branches.

Some interesting facts about hedgehogs 🦔:

• The hedgehog is the largest insectivorous mammal in Poland.
• Hedgehogs do not carry apples on their backs - IT'S A MYTH! Hedgehogs are omnivorous, but mainly feed on insects, spiders, snails, but also mice and even frogs.
• Don't let their friendly muzzle fool you - they are great predators - they can attack a viper.
• Its most distinctive feature is its spines. Between 6,000 and 8,000 spines about 2 centimetres long can be counted on its tiny body.
• The spine is a modified hair. The air-filled tubes are sharply pointed. In the past, hedgehog spines were used as spindle or hospital needles.
• Hedgehogs can be found in deciduous forests, parks or coppices. They also do not avoid plots or backyard gardens. It is important that there are trees and bushes.
• During the active period, hedgehogs stay hidden under leaves during the day. As soon as it is dusk, they walk around, looking for food, until dawn.

The design, construction of the house and the information campaign were prepared by fifth-year pedagogy students Patrycja Mika and Karolina Kisielińska, under the coordination of PhD APS Prof. Ligia Tuszynska, Acting Coordinator for Social Responsibility of the University and Sustainable Development Katarzyna Soszyńska and PhD APS Prof. Anna Odrowąż-Coates.

Please see some more information in Polish here: file