African Pygmy Hedgehog (Atelerix Albiventris)

Since July 2023 eight (8) African pygmy hedgehogs have been seized by the Department of Energy, Environment & Climate Action (DEECA) from residential properties in Richmond, Woodend and Werribee where hedgehogs were being kept as part of the illegal pet trade. These animals are connected to a large-scale illegal trade network in exotic pest animals with links to overseas and interstate. Further seizures of hedgehogs in Victoria are likely.  

African pygmy hedgehogs are native to central and Eastern Africa. In recent years, their popularity as exotic pets have surged globally, making them highly sought after in Australia’s illegal pet trade The illegal keeping, breeding, and trading of African pygmy hedgehogs is prohibited in Victoria and Australia because of the potentially serious biosecurity risks they pose.

Hedgehogs could pose a significant threat to the Australian economy because they can carry exotic animal diseases like rabies and foot-and-mouth disease. Hedgehogs also carry endemic diseases like Salmonella, Q fever, and Toxoplasmosis, all of which can be transmitted to humans and native wildlife.

Hedgehog species have a proven history as an invasive pest and have established feral populations in New Zealand and Scotland. In New Zealand, the invasive European hedgehog has few natural predators and is now thriving, preying on native frogs, lizards, insects, and bird eggs. Originally introduced to control garden pests such as slugs and snails, these small mammals have since become a pervasive problem

Introduced hedgehogs are causing fragmentation of habitat, loss of food for native species and a decline in numbers of native reptiles, amphibians, and bats. Numbers are kept in check only through targeted pest control programs, car accidents, and predators like foxes.

If you have any information about the illegal trade of exotic species like the African Pygmy Hedgehog, please call Crime Stoppers Victoria on 1800 333 000 to make an anonymous report.