Protection
Generally, the hedgehog is widely distributed and can be found in good numbers where people are tolerant of their residence in gardens. To date, the IUCN classifies the species as Least Concern and currently the population as Stable. In some areas, they are common victims of road kills and may hunted by dogs, such as in Sardinia. On 28 August 2007, the new Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) included the European hedgehog on the list of species and habitats in the UK that need conservation and greater protection.
In Denmark and Poland, hedgehogs are protected by law. It is illegal to capture or hurt them, but it is accepted to house underweight hedgehogs found out during winter.
A low coverage assembly of the genome of Erinaceus europaeus was released by the Broad Institute in June 2006 as part of the Mammalian Genome Project.
Read more about this topic: European Hedgehog
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