Coleg Cambria students tackling 'alarming' decline in hedgehogs in north Wales
A group of students at Coleg Cambria are working with a North Wales wildlife charity to try and save hedgehogs after an "alarming" decline in the region.
The Animal Care team at the college's Llysfasi site have teamed up with Hedgehog Help Prestatyn (HHP) to open a centre that provides shelter and food for the hedgehogs, before releasing them back into the wild.
Around 20 hedgehogs have been cared for since the project began in August. The centre will be open all-year round.
Hedgehog numbers have fallen by around 50 per cent in the last 20 years, according to the charity.
The statistics suggest the creatures are disappearing more rapidly in the countryside, as hedgerows and field margins are lost to intensive farming.
The students monitor the hedgehogs by weighing and assessing their behaviour before releasing them.
The charity said it could not have managed without the support from the college.