Hedgehogs on the Isle of Man
No badgers, no foxes, a shipwreck story and three Manx names for one small animal.
Are there hedgehogs on the Isle of Man?
Yes. Manx Wildlife Trust counts fourteen land mammal species with self-sustaining populations on the Island (excluding bats and seals) — very few of them native. Manx Wildlife Trust The Isle of Man has neither badgers nor foxes, both predators of hedgehogs in Britain, so Manx Wildlife Trust says the Manx population is interesting to compare with similar UK sites. MWT
MWT runs a citizen-science hedgehog survey using footprint tunnels to find out where Manx hedgehogs live. MWT If you live on the Island, that’s a lovely, practical way to help: see MWT’s hedgehog survey page.
Native or newcomer?
Probably a newcomer, though how and when is not certain. Writing in 1885, a Manx Note Book contributor said the hedgehog was "now common all over the Island" but doubted it had been so for long; around fifty years earlier one was "a great curiosity". Manx Note Book, 1885
Local tradition credited the hedgehogs' arrival to the wreck of the schooner Hooton, of Garlieston, with a box of hedgehogs on board. Manx Note Book It’s a good story. It may even be true. We have not found a primary record of the wreck itself, so we file it under folklore.
You may see a claim online that an 1812 account said there were no hedgehogs on the Island. We could only find that in secondary sources, not the original, so we haven’t relied on it here.
Manx names and folklore
Manx names recorded for the hedgehog include graynoge, muc-cleigh (a literal "hedge-pig") and arkan-sonney. Manx Note Book
In Manx folklore the hedgehog was one of the "seven sleepers". Manx Note Book The same 1885 notes record the old belief that hedgehogs sucked milk from cows (they don’t; see myths).
The law
The hedgehog is listed in Schedule 6 of the Isle of Man Wildlife Act 1990: animals which may not be killed or taken by certain methods. legislation.gov.im That means certain methods of killing or taking them are banned. As with any law, check the current version on legislation.gov.im if you need the detail.
How many?
We don’t know, and neither, as far as we can find, does anyone else. There’s no published population estimate for Manx hedgehogs that we could verify. That’s exactly what the MWT survey is for.
Who to call on the Island
For an injured or sick hedgehog, contact a vet or a local wildlife rescue. The BHPS helpline (01584 890 801) can also advise and suggest local carers.
