Estonian kindergarteners build hedgehog nests for winter
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Children from Naerumaa Kindergarten in Tartu, Estonia helped construct winter nests for hedgehogs on Toome Hill.
The kindergarteners built the shelters with guidance from animal ecologist Kaarin Hein, who showed them how to create a base with branches and insulate it with leaves. This effort responds to a decline in natural hibernation spots for urban hedgehogs due to fall cleanups.
Some families already assist hedgehogs in their yards by providing food and shelter, and one family drove an injured hedgehog over two hours to a foster home in Keila. Hein also advised people to leave leaf litter and debris in their yards to provide additional nesting material. Researchers will investigate next summer to determine if hedgehogs used the newly built nests as winter shelters. Estonia designated the hedgehog as its animal of the year for 2026.
