On the Road Mortality of the Northern White-Breasted Hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus Barrett-Hamilton, 1900) in Bulgaria

The mortality of the northern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus) was studied, counting the killed hedgehogs (number/10 km) at 85 km section from “Trakia” Highway (from Plovdiv City to Stara Zagora Town) and the 16-kilometer second-class road from the village of Hristeni to the same highway, in all seasons of 2017. The smallest number of hedgehogs were killed on the highway in the winter, and the largest number of individuals were killed in the spring both on the highway and on the second-class road. The summer was the only season when there are more deadly hedgehogs on the highway than on the second class road, with no killed individuals found there. In the autumn again, as in both winter and spring, more hedgehog deaths were recorded on the second class road than on the highway. The number of individuals killed on the highway ranks third in number after those in the spring and summer.