Accessibility Homepage Skip navigation Sitemap

Forum

Register and log in to gain access to our forums and chat about everything 'hedgehog'!

Thank you for looking to contribute to the Hedgehog Street forum. Please note that when submitting replies or posts, these are run through our spam-checkers, so there may be a slight delay in your posts appearing, and reflecting in the forum post details below. However, if you think anything has gone awry please contact us.

The views and opinions expressed in this forum do not necessarily represent the views of PTES or BHPS.

Home Forums Champions’ chat Red Torch Light? Any Good? Reply To: Red Torch Light? Any Good?

#27660
Avatar photo
Nic

Hi lamkelliee

Personally I think you are right to be concerned. Whatever these videos are for, it’s the welfare of the hedgehog that should always come first. Using a bright torch to film hedgehogs sounds to me not only unethical, but also possibly illegal. They are not going to get natural images of a hedgehog in such circumstances.

If they want to film hedgehogs they should be using an infrared camera – as found in camera traps. A red torch light is possibly an improvement on white light, but if a light is shone at a hedgehog it is not going to behave normally. It is more likely to be dazzled by the light. And why are they following the poor hedgehogs around shining torches at them anyway. They should get static camera traps so that the hedgehog has the choice whether to go past it or not. People get some amazing images of hedgehogs from camera traps – and of the hedgehogs behaving in a natural manner.

I think your best bet is to persuade people to get camera traps and to stop stressing the poor hedgehogs by chasing them around with torches.

There is some information about camera traps in this link. The competition has finished, but there is other useful information. https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/hadcompetition/

Good luck

Hedgehog