SIR: Where is all our wildlife going? asked Joanne Hampson in your April 23 issue. As well as dying on the road, hedgehogs are being killed in our own gardens, often in spite of our best intentions.

If you are buying slug pellets, please choose the ones that are wildlife-friendly. They may not be the cheapest but there's no point getting a massive box of something to kill slugs if you're also going to kill your friendly garden hedgehog.

Even if your hedgehog doesn't swallow the pellets themselves it may well guzzle a large number of slugs that have been poisoned. When this happens the hedgehog itself may die.

Hedgehogs are your best natural form of slug control; please take care of them.

Many of your readers will know of the existence of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. Others may be interested in its aims: To encourage and give advice to the public about the care of hedgehogs, particularly when injured, sick, orphaned, treated cruelly or in any danger.

To encourage the younger generation to value and respect our natural wildlife and, by supplying information and giving lectures, to foster their interest in hedgehogs.

To fund serious research into the behavioural habits of hedgehogs and to ascertain the best methods of assisting their survival.

Anyone who wishes to learn more about the Society, its activities and the wide range of hedgehog goods which are sold should send a stamped addressed envelope to the address below. A H Coles

British Hedgehog

Preservation Society

Knowbury House

Shropshire, SY8 3LQ?

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.