Introduced into New Zealand from Britain in 1870, hedgehogs were another way that Europen settlers could be reminded of home, and to help control garden slugs, snails and insects. Surprisingly, the extent to which hedgehogs impact upon the New Zealand environment has only recently begun to be understood. They have a voracious appetite, are a proven major predator of the eggs of breeding river birds, and they prey on endemic invertebrates and lizards. Moreover, the legacy of this British import continues to this day with the perception that hedgehogs are endearing and harmless creatures leading to a growth of ‘hedgehog rescue’ groups.