HAVE YOU SEEN a hedgehog recently? Are you at a loose end?

Well, if either of the above ring true, from Monday you can assist two universities in tracking Ireland’s hedgehog population.

Researchers from the University of Galway and University of Oxford are joining Hedgehog Conservation Ireland to call for people to take part in the inaugural Great Big All-Ireland Hedgehog Count.

Those involved are expecting it to be a hit.

It kicks off on Monday 8 June, and does not involve actually doing much counting. Rather, if you spot a hedgehog (dead or alive, morbidly enough), you can access this website and report your findings.

Elaine O’Riordan, School of Natural Sciences and Ryan Institute, University of Galway, and lead researcher for the Irish Hedgehog Survey. University of Galway University of Galway

Contributors are asked to report the location and some observation details (including a photograph) to assist researchers in their assessment of Ireland’s hedgehog population.

People have been implored not to disturb the hedgehogs and to “admire them from a distance”.

Hedgehogs play a role in maintaining healthy ecosystems by naturally helping to control populations of insects, slugs and other garden pests, making them an important part of Ireland’s biodiversity.

The initiative is part of a growing national effort to better understand and protect Ireland’s hedgehogs, whose numbers are believed to be declining due to habitat loss, road traffic, pesticides and changes in land use.

Across Europe, hedgehogs are now classified as “Near Threatened” on the IUCN Red List, which means the species is close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.

If it reaches the next category, it is considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.