Hugh Warwick

Get stuffed …

Hugh Warwick 1 Comment

Nature vs nurture?

Before I had children I was rather convinced by the nurturing arguments – but that has been revealed to me as little more than the arrogance of youth! Yes, of course, there is some impact on the child in the way they are brought up – but it is not the whole story.

And how is that related to taxidermy?

Because the more I have got to know my biological mother the more I find out that we are linked in ways that could not have anything to do with nurture – she had just ten days to imprint her character on me … and I can hardly remember what happened ten days ago, let alone in my very first ten days on the planet!

I went to visit her last week and took, as requested, my stuffed hedgehog (about which I wrote a while ago) because she had someone who wanted to meet it …

For many many years her nickname has been ‘badger’ and when a friend found this stuffed one in a house clearance sale, well … it was irresistible. And I got to pose between an asymmetric intraguild predatory relationship …. which, when you have read The Beauty in the Beast, you will recognise as being related to a rather smutty joke.

So it is not a rigorous scientific survey – but over four decades apart and we both have a desire for stuffed British wildlife … along with a passion for music. And apparently I laugh like her father, but at the things her mother found funny. And much more besides. And now she wants a hedgehog too – so if anyone out there has a nice example of prickly taxidermy they want to be rid of, please drop me a line!

Hedgehog beer

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It was with no small degree of trepidation that I poured my first glass of ‘Old Prickly’ – the Snuffly Hedge Grog from the Hobsons brewery of Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire. Brewed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, the ale was lighter in colour than I thought it would be. And there was a pleasing aroma as I took a deep breath.

I love a good beer, so why be worried?

Because I have been somewhere very similar before. Have a look at my piece on hedgehog whisky to see why … and you might understand why. In fact in the blog entry I was a little polite to the drink. On revisiting it I can attest it to be one of the foulest excrescences – rarely have I seen anyone finish even the the merest dampening of a glass without a grimace.

So what would the beer hold? On its arrival I was excited ….

Continue reading →

A few reviews

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I was rummaging through a pile of unfiled paper on my desk and came across a copy of The Lady from April 2010. The magazine was in my mind already as they have just published a very pleasing review of The Beauty in the Beast – apparently I have ‘some fine stylistic touches too – a bumblebee is ‘furry, like an impossibly light mouse‘.’ and that the book should be ‘Read it in the garden, with the sun on your face and perhaps be spurred on to help protect Britain’s most vulnerable species.’

So as I flicked through the pages of horse riding poshness I was thrilled to be reminded that they had reviewed A Prickly Affair … and described it as a ‘quirky, entertaining, mad, informative and ultimately serious book…‘ which I have to say rather got it I reckon! Continue reading →

Events

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The Beauty in the Beast is now most definitely launched – but things keep happening to stop me getting back to work! I am about to head up to BBC Oxford to be a guest on the Jo Thoenes show … wonder if I will get away with any rude jokes this time?

Then, on Sunday, my first real outing with THE NEW TALK … I did a rehearsal at my launch event last Saturday which went really well and thanks to the creative and delicately framed feedback, I am happy to make some substantial changes. But Sunday, the 13th May, is the first festival, the Swindon Festival of Literature. I did a show on this day of the festival a few years ago – the Children and Families open day – and it was great fun. The venue, Lower Shaw Farm, is worth a visit, even without the presence of me and my stories of gentle eccentricities of my fellow wildlife lovers. Continue reading →

Dragonflies and Fred Macaulay

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What a good combination! I really enjoy being on Fred Macaulay’s BBC Scotland Radio show – over the years I have been accorded the title of ‘eco-worrrier’ – and last time I was signed off as the ‘conscience of Macaulay and Co.’ So it was a delight to be let loose for 15 minutes on the show – you can still hear it here for another 6 days – go to 41:45 and then I begin. Somehow I let slip a rather rude joke … but kept talking so people did not have too much time to dwell upon it.

And then – today we have the wonderful British Dragonfly Society giving my book a nice plug on the front of their website. It is a shame that this beautiful animal did not win as it would have made for a brilliant tattoo!

What next? Well I have recorded interviews with BBC Hereford and Worcester and also with BBC Kent – I am a guest on BBC Oxford next week – and for any Oxford folk, I will be at the East Oxford Farmers Market on Saturday – selling The Beauty in the Beast to those who queue for bread and vegetables.

More to follow as it follows…. hope you are enjoying the new website.

Nearly there …

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I am so close to nearly having the website up and running in the manner that I want it to be that I am unable to hold off … mainly because it has material on it about which I am rather proud. You will see that the url has changed – and that now this is all at www.urchin.info – which site also has the podcasts that go with my new book, a gallery of photographs (some of which are related to the book (and which will be working soon, I hope)), a smattering of articles I found online and my events page … just wondering whether I should start to put WI talks in there as well! Continue reading →

Amazing opportunity

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This is a bit of a local entry – in that it will be of most interest to people who are not too far away from Oxford … but will also be of interest to people passionate about hedgehogs.

Whenever I give talks I always say how much fun is to be had from getting really close to wild hedgehogs – how much of an insight into the animal can come from simply observing them in their natural habitat. And I also say, if you ever see a note from someone looking for volunteers to help them with some research – grab the opportunity in both hands and don’t let go ….  Continue reading →

Badgers and Bats

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Okay – an experiment. Or a warning!

Things are going to be changing around here in the next month or so, my new website is being built to arrive in time for the launch of my new book, The Beauty in the Beast (published by Simon and Schuster at the end of April). And part of this new website will be a little additional bit to go with the book – I recorded all of the interviews with my wonderful animal advocates, and am now in the process of editing them into short pieces … so not only will you be able to read about these amazing people, you will be able to hear them too. Continue reading →

Lacto-free

Hugh Warwick 14 Comments

First – thank you for the many people who took time to read through the last post and the many many comments. I was surprised at the depth of feeling and hope that I have not re-started any once forgotten problems.

Reading through what has been written, I think I have a better handle on my position. Or at least a way of expressing it:

  • No wild animals should ever be taken from the wild and kept as a pet.
  • I think that hedgehogs, of whatever species, belong in the wild.
  • Pet hedgehogs (African species, possibly hybrids, and possibly subject to 10 or 20 generations of captivity) are unable to be returned to the wild.
  • The welfare of any hedgehogs that are kept in captivity should be paramount.
  • Breeding hedgehogs for profit is likely to lead to a reduction of the quality of conditions in which hedgehogs are kept.
  • If you are going to look after a pet hedgehog then please use this position to help promote the really important issues surrounding the well-being of ‘real’ hedgehogs out in the wild.
  • ‘They are just so cute’ is NOT reason enough to keep an animal in captivity (these are not animated teddy-bears). Continue reading →