The next conference will take place in Denmark in January 2026
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We look forward to welcoming all delegates in Copenhagen, Denmark from 17th-18th of January 2026 for the 3rd International Conference for Hedgehog Professionals
Welcome to the International Conference for Hedgehog Professionals.
You can find information about the conference programme, speakers, venue, accommodation, registration and download the current and previous conference abstract books in the different menus on this website.
A conference with the purpose of inspiring and strengthening the collaboration between all hedgehog professionals, including hedgehog researchers, hedgehog carers, veterinarians and veterinary nurses treating hedgehogs, industry partners and NGOs and politicians working to promote hedgehog conservation, to serve the common, important goal of preserving the European hedgehog in the wild.
Please join our Facebook group if you wish to take part in the knowledge sharing we hope this group will generate between e.g. hedgehog carers, hedgehog researchers and veterinarians or veterinary nurses treating hedgehogs.
We encourage all European hedgehog rehabilitators and other professionals working with hedgehog rehabilitation and conservation, such as hedgehog researchers, politicians, NGO staff, relevant industry partners, veterinarians and veterinary nurses treating hedgehogs, to sign up for participation.
Here you can download the latest conference abstract book ( 2026)
Purpose and background
With this conference we wish to bridge the gap between hedgehog researchers and hedgehog carers internationally. We hope to establish a strong and respectful collaboration between the scientists and the care practitioners with the purpose of improving hedgehog conservation. It is essential that we work together and strengthen our teamwork to help save the declining hedgehog population.
The conference furthermore serves to present the most recent hedgehog research and hedgehog conservation initiatives from all over Europe to inspire and inform all participants at the conference.
Photo by Pia Burmøller Hansen
Programme
The International Conference for Hedgehog Professionals 2026
Saturday the 17th of January 2026
08:30: Conference registration opens
Coffee, tea and breakfast is served
9:30-9:45: Dorthe Madsen & Sophie Lund Rasmussen: “Welcome to the International Conference for Hedgehog Rehabilitators”
09:45-10:00: Keynote opening speech by Sebastian Everding, Member of the European Parliament (Animal Welfare Party, Germany) (ONLINE)
Session: Principles and practices of wildlife rehabilitation. Chair: Grace Johnson
10:00-10:20: Peter Sandøe: “Should we always let nature take its course?”
10:20-10:40: Paul Reynolds (ONLINE): “The BWRC’s 10 principles of wildlife rehabilitation: A framework for UK standards and regulation”
10:40-11:00: Emma Ormiston: “Why hedgehogs need help: Common causes for wildlife rehabilitation”
11:00-11:30: Coffee break
Session: Hedgehog diets. Chair: Sophie Lund Rasmussen
11:30-11:50: Lea Grayston-Smith: “Tracking changes in in the diet of the UK’s Western European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) over a 100-year timeframe using stable isotope analysis”
11:50-12:10: Anja Varmløse Strathe, Rebecca Victoria Marquard Bay & Simone Lorenzen “Food choice and stomach characteristics based on macroscopic analyses of deceased European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) from various regions of Denmark”
12:10-12:30: Carys Harry: “A macroscopic investigation of kidney disease in a Danish population of European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus)”
12:30-12:40: Sophie Lund Rasmussen: “eDNA analyses of hedgehog faeces to determine diet”
12:40-13:30: Lunch
Session: Exploring the health and anatomy of hedgehogs. Chair: Sophie Lund Rasmussen
13:30-13:50: Dylan Yaffy: “Hedgehog Health and Disease at the Royal Veterinary College”
13:50-14:10: Henrik Lauridsen & Aage Kristian Olsen Alstrup: “Post-mortem micro-CT scans of European hedgehogs enabling detailed 3D reconstructions of the inner ear and whole body”
14:10-14:30: Heidi Thomsen: ”Hearing in the European hedgehog”
Session: WildlifeRecords. Chairs: Sophie Lund Rasmussen & Lucy Bearman-Brown
14:30-15:30: “Introducing WildlifeRecords, a free wildlife data management tool”
15:30-16:00: Coffee break
Session: Genetics and hedgehogs in clinical practice. Chair: Aage Kristian Olsen Alstrup
16:00- 16:20: Elaine O’Riordan: “Mitochondrial DNA reveals diversity in Irish hedgehog population”
16:20-16:40: Katrien Franssen: ”Hedgehogs in clinical practice”
16:40-17:10: Rikke Hansen: “How do we assess pain, when pain can’t be measured? And how do we handle that pain?”
And finally, an important and uplifting last talk of the day
17:15-17:45: Hugh Warwick: “Keyboard warriors”
17:45-18:00: Group photo
18:00-19:00: Poster session and reception
19:00: Conference dinner
The International Conference for Hedgehog Professionals 2026
Sunday the 18th of January 2026
8:30: Doors open
Coffee, tea and breakfast is served
Session: Infections in hedgehogs. Chair: Dylan Yaffy
9:10-9:30: Hannah Davies: ”Hedgehog arterivirus-1 in European hedgehogs in England and Wales: an update”
9:30-09:50: Vicki Oliver: ”Hedgehog arterivirus-1 in wild European hedgehogs – a rescue centre perspective”
09:50-10:10: Amaury Van Goethem: ”A year of hedgehog necropsies: Insights into Salmonella”
10:10-10:30: Discussion: What should we study in the future?
10:30-11:00: Coffee break
Session: Anthropogenic factors influencing hedgehog health and survival. Chair: Anouschka Hof
11:00-11:20: Catarina Jota Baptista (ONLINE): ”European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) as bioindicators of heavy metal(loid)s pollution in Portugal: a One Health perspective”
11:20-11:40: Emily Thrift: “Assessing the presence of plastics within the European hedgehog diet”
11:40-12:00:Abinesh Muthaiyan (ONLINE): “Observation on factors affecting the survival of juvenile Madras hedgehogs (Paraechinus nudiventris) in different districts of Tamil Nadu, India”
12:00-13:00: Lunch
Session: Hedgehog parasites. Chair: Thomas Churchyard
13:00-13:20: Angelique Lofaro: ”Prevalence of ringworm in Atelerix algirus in Malta – Preliminary data report”
13:20-13:40: Brawin Kumar: ”Parasitic pressure and behavioural constraints in the Madras hedgehog: Evidence from urban and semi-arid grasslands in Tamil Nadu”
13:40-14:00: Ann Wairimu Kinyanjui: ”Next generation sequencing based detection of microbial pathogens in ticks from Danish hedgehogs”
14:00-14:30: Coffee break
Session: Hedgehog conservation in action. Chair: Lucy Bearman-Brown
14:30-14:50: Grace Johnson: “Hedgehog conservation in the UK: Strategy, monitoring and engagement”
14:50-15:10: Vicky Grant & Thomas Churchyard: “From Uist to the mainland: Designing Scotland’s first hedgehog release strategy”
15:10-15:30: Sophie Lund Rasmussen: “Hedgehogs and robotic lawn mowers, Danmarks Pindsvin and Hedgehog Conservation Ireland”
15:30-15:50: Diane and Andrew Cook: “When nerds nurture nature – Project HEDGE: A nationwide platform for passive hedgehog monitoring and research collaboration”
15:50-16:00: Rounding off the conference
Farewell tea, coffee and snacks are served
Thank you & get home safely!
Venue
The venue for the International Conference for Hedgehog Professionals 17th-18th of January 2026 will be H.C. Ørsted Bygningen (H.C. Ørsted Building), University of Copenhagen, Nørre Campus, Universitetsparken 5, 2100 Copenhagen East (København Ø), Denmark.
The conference will take place in Auditorium 1.
Travelling to the conference venue
Universitetsparken is located centrally in Copenhagen. Depending on the location of your hotel, you can travel there by foot, bicycle, bus or metro. We recommend using Google Maps for directions, or Rejseplanen to plan the trip. Tickets for public transportation is easiest to purchase through the DOT Ticket app.
Travelling to Copenhagen, Denmark
If you arrive by plane, we recommend that you select Copenhagen Airport as your destination. You can also travel to Copenhagen Central Station (København H) by train from other European countries, or via bus through companies like Flixbus.
