Have you ever heard of a hedgehoglet orphangarten?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the care and rehabilitation of orphaned hedgehoglets, as well as related wildlife observations, particularly focusing on the interactions between various species in Norway, including hedgehogs and fishers. The conversation touches on the challenges faced by these animals in their natural habitats.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express concern for hedgehogs, noting their vulnerability to cars and predators like badgers.
  • A participant mentions a woman who rehabilitates orphaned hedgehoglets during winter, suggesting a positive community effort.
  • Others share their thoughts on porcupines, comparing their defenses to those of hedgehogs and discussing the threats they face, particularly from fishers.
  • There is confusion about the term "fishers," with multiple participants seeking clarification on whether it refers to fishermen or a specific animal.
  • Participants clarify that fishers are members of the weasel family, discussing their role as predators and their relationship to other similar animals like martens.
  • Some participants reflect on their personal experiences with wildlife in Norway, noting the presence of various marten species and their commonality in the region.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is no clear consensus on the definitions and roles of the animals discussed, as participants express differing levels of familiarity with wildlife terminology and experiences in nature. The discussion includes both agreement on the existence of various species and differing views on their prevalence and interactions.

Contextual Notes

Participants' statements reveal a range of assumptions about wildlife behavior and ecology, as well as varying levels of personal experience with the species mentioned. Some claims about animal populations and behaviors remain unverified within the discussion.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in wildlife rehabilitation, animal behavior, and ecological interactions in northern climates may find this discussion relevant.

arildno
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Where I grew up, there used to be quite a few hedgehogs.
Unfortunately, they have a deplorable tendency to curl up in a ball as a defensive mechanism, even against approaching cars..
Badgers are also a prroblem for the hedgehogs.

It has been years since I saw a live one.

This woman is doing something about it:
She receives orphaned hedgehoglets (??), and nurse them through the winter months before they are relocated to safer places:
http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article4138210.ece
 
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Awww, so cute. So nice to hear of good things. :smile:
 
Very cute little critters! Our porcupines are a lot more spiny. Dogs are no real threat to them, but fishers are very intelligent, strong, and fast, and can kill and eat them with impunity. I think that apart from fishers (whose populations might be suffering due to human development) cars are probably responsible for the death of more porcupines than natural causes.
 
Eeh, "fishers"??

Is that the same as fishermen?
 
arildno said:
Eeh, "fishers"??

Is that the same as fishermen?
No, fishers are members of the weasel family, just a bit lower on the predator chain than wolverines but no less effective.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_(animal )
 
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turbo-1 said:
No, fishers are members of the weasel family, just a bit lower on the predator chain than wolverines but no less effective.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_(animal )
Oh, so it is a marten type of animal?

We've got one of those here in Norway; I think it is rather rare.
 
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arildno said:
Oh, so it is a marten type of animal?

We've got one of those here in Norway; I think it is rather rare.
That family is not rare here. If you are quiet and patient, you will see weasels, minks, martens, and fishers in the woods. I have not seen a fisher from my back deck, but I have seen the others from there.
 
My father would have killed me for spouting such nonsense I'm guilty of (he was a biologist).
We have several marten types here in Norway; the pine marten I had in mind, but also stoat, least weasel, otter, mink and polecats.

Several of these are quite common.
 
arildno said:
My father would have killed me for spouting such nonsense I'm guilty of (he was a biologist).
We have several marten types here in Norway; the pine marten I had in mind, but also stoat, least weasel, otter, mink and polecats.

Several of these are quite common.
OK, I figured maybe you were a city-dweller and had little experience in the outdoors. Any northern climate with boreal forests should be home to many of these critters.
 
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turbo-1 said:
OK, I figured maybe you were a city-dweller and had little experience in the outdoors. Any northern climate with boreal forests should be home to many of these critters.
Not really. Have been a lot out-of-doors, 70% of Oslo is actually public woodlands.
I just forgot those animals were martens, too, not just the pine marten..