Ursula Ertl holds a rescued hedgehog in her gloved hands and smiles at the camera – on the hedgehog nature trail in Feistritz an der Drau
Feistritz an der Drau · Carinthia

SOS Igel in Not Lehr- und Lernpfad Drautal

Protecting hedgehogs. Sharing knowledge. Experiencing nature together.

Found a hedgehog? Get help now Visit the nature trail Support the project

Emergency pickup only in the Villach-Land area. Outside this area: we are happy to help arrange a referral.

Acute emergency? Hedgehog emergency line: +43 650 269 97 10

11stations
24/7emergency line
With heartfor hedgehogs
Hedgehog house · Feeding station – order now in our shop (in German)

New · Now on

Hedgehog hunt on the nature trail

Ten little hedgehogs are hiding along the nature trail – can you find the whole hedgehog family?

All about the hedgehog hunt (in German) Go to the nature trail
Ten hedgehog figures in the tall grass of the nature trail: the big mother hedgehog with a red nose and her eight hoglets gathered around her
By day, the hedgehog family hides in the grass, under bushes and in the deadwood.
Latest news

News from the hedgehog park

What is happening on site right now, in brief – with photos right here on the page.

  1. New

    Official opening of our hedgehog nature trail

    Group photo at the ribbon-cutting for the opening of the hedgehog trail, with many guests and the pavilion in the background
    The ribbon-cutting
    Numerous guests on benches and in the garden at the opening celebration of the hedgehog trail
    Many guests celebrated with us

    Many people from near and far came to celebrate this special day with us! The quartet of the municipal band opened the event with a brass fanfare. A music class from MS Feistritz delighted everyone with a hedgehog song they had written themselves, a ballad told the story of how our trail came about, and a brass quartet provided the festive musical setting.

    Many appreciative words from Mayor Manuel Müller, Member of the Carinthian Parliament, and finally thanks and a blessing by Deacon Korl Peter for our beautiful nature, which we want to protect and preserve together, made the opening a very special experience.

    See photos of the opening ceremony on Facebook

  2. On air: the hedgehog trail on Radio Kärnten

    Radio Kärnten broadcast a feature about our hedgehog nature trail in Feistritz an der Drau on its lunchtime programme “Radio Kärnten zur Mittagszeit” – shortly before the official opening on 26 September. The roughly two-minute piece (in German) can be heard on ORF Sound until 23 October 2026.

    Listen on ORF Sound (in German)

  3. A big new tree for the hedgehog park

    The newly planted tree with a tree bench and bunting in the hedgehog park
    The new tree with its tree bench

    Today we planted a big new tree in the hedgehog park. For hedgehogs a tree is much more than greenery: it gives shade, provides leaves for nests and winter shelters every autumn and attracts insects and birds – exactly what belongs on the grounds.

    Watch the planting video on Facebook

More photos and videos on our Facebook page →

How can we help?

Three ways – choose yours

  • Found a hedgehog? Get help now

    Three steps that matter right now – and the direct line to the phone.

    Get emergency help

  • Visit the nature trail

    11 stations in Feistritz an der Drau – open all year round, free admission.

    Explore the nature trail

  • Support the project

    Spread the word, lend a hand, donate or order from our shop.

    Support hedgehog rescue

Found a hedgehog? Just give us a call.

Not every hedgehog seen during the day needs help – but if in doubt, it is better to call once too often. Together with you, we will work out what to do.

Emergency pickup is only available in the Villach-Land area.

Live further away? Please call anyway – we are happy to help arrange a referral.

+43 650 269 97 10

— Ursula Ertl, chairwoman

Three steps that matter now.

Observe

Is it lying flat or on its side? Wobbling? Active during the day? A sunken dip behind the head (a sign of starvation)? These are warning signs.

See the warning signs →

Warmth and shelter

A tall cardboard box with a towel, a lukewarm hot-water bottle, a quiet room.

Open the instructions →

Call us

+43 650 269 97 10 — together with you, we will work out what to do.

Call now

Until you have spoken to us on the phone, please do not feed the hedgehog and never give it milk.

All steps, warning signs and what you must not do →

The heart of the project

The nature trail with 11 stations

On the information boards, Erina the hedgehog takes you through her year – from waking up in spring to hibernation. The trail is right in the middle of Feistritz an der Drau, open all year round and free of charge. Three stations for a first taste:

The year

Through the hedgehog year with Erina

From waking up in spring to hibernation.

See station 01 →
Family

Erina and the hoglets

Birth, time in the nest and the first weeks.

See station 07 →
Help

Erina in trouble!

Recognising emergencies and doing the right thing.

See station 09 →
A stone herb spiral in the foreground, behind it the pavilion and a colourful information board of the nature trail
Herb spiral and flowering areas for insects – a look at the grounds.
Discover all 11 stations → Read up on hedgehogs (in German)
Ursula Ertl with a rescued hedgehog in her hands
The woman behind the trail

Ursula Ertl

A school project at the MS Feistritz/Drau (secondary school) has grown into a whole nature trail – and a hedgehog lover has become a point of contact whose phone rings around the clock.

“If you know the hedgehog, you protect it.”

Read Ursula’s story (in German) →
Rethink your garden

How to turn your garden into a hedgehog haven.

A hedgehog doesn’t need a forest – a well-planned garden is enough. The three most important building blocks at a glance.

Leave leaf piles where they are

A large pile of leaves in a quiet, shady corner becomes a winter shelter – weigh it down with brushwood and leave it until May.

A 10 × 10 cm gap

Hedgehogs travel up to 3 km a night and need to be able to roam. A square hole in the fence or a gap under the garden gate is enough.

No robot mowers, no poison

Robot lawnmowers are deadly for hedgehogs – especially at night. Check the lawn before mowing and avoid slug pellets and pesticides.

More tips and practical building plans

Wild hedge, water source, deadwood, brushwood pile, hedgehog gateway: every building block with measurements, a plant list and a garden-year calendar on a page of its own (in German).

Garden the natural way: the full guide (in German) →
For kids – right here

Knowledge, quiz and play.

Play along right here – the full kids’ section with Erina’s big quiz, a memory game and colouring pages is waiting on our kids’ page (in German).

Erina’s mini quiz

Erina’s mini quiz needs JavaScript. No problem – the big quiz is on our kids’ page (in German): Go to the hedgehog quiz

Did you know …

8,000
spines

An adult hedgehog has between 6,000 and 8,000 spines. Each one lasts about 18 months.

Go to the kids’ section (in German) → Start Erina’s big quiz (in German)
How to find us

In the heart of the Drau valley

SOS Igellehr- und Lernpfad Drautal
Schulstraße · 9710 Feistritz an der Drau
Carinthia, Austria
above the community centre (Gemeinschaftshaus)
  • freely accessible all year round, no fixed opening hours
  • free admission
  • low-barrier access, parking right on site
  • Guided tours and groups (e.g. school classes): please get in touch by e-mail or on +43 650 269 97 10 – contact person: Ursula Ertl
Plan your route All directions information
Map of Feistritz an der Drau with a marker on Schulstraße

Clicking “Load map” loads Google Maps. Your IP address will be sent to Google. Privacy policy (German)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Get involved

How you can help

Each of these five ways helps the hedgehogs of the Drau valley – including the first one, which costs nothing.

  • Spread the word

    Tell your neighbours, family and friends about the nature trail – and share it online.

  • Volunteer

    Helping hands are always welcome – for building, maintenance and guided tours.

  • Donate

    Food, medicine and supplies for hedgehog care – every amount counts.

  • Buy from our shop

    Hedgehog houses and feeding stations from our own workshop – all proceeds stay in the project.

  • Make your garden hedgehog-friendly

    Leaf piles, a gap in the fence, no poison: the most effective help, right on your doorstep. Here’s how (in German)

Donate now Support hedgehog rescue Go to the shop (in German) Get in touch
Press

Recent press coverage

The SOS hedgehog nature trail and our hedgehog carer Bärbel have been featured in the Kärntner Krone, on MeinBezirk.at and on Radio Kärnten.

Clipping from the Kronen Zeitung, “Mehr Kärnten & Osttirol” page: the headline “Kleines Dorf für die Igel” (A little village for the hedgehogs) next to a close-up photo of a hedgehog New
Clipping from the newspaper page · © Kronen Zeitung · Photos: Elisa Aschbacher

Kronen Zeitung · “Mehr Kärnten & Osttirol” · September 2026 · page 23 · Text: Elisa Aschbacher

Kleines Dorf für die Igel

Even before the opening, the Kronen Zeitung reported on us once again: “Nature trail draws attention to the animals’ extinction” (“Lehrpfad macht auf Aussterben der Tiere aufmerksam”). What began as a project in school lessons has grown, two years later, into a real life-saving paradise – on a flat roof in Schulstraße in Feistritz an der Drau.

The article explains why hedgehogs are under threat – robot lawnmowers, the decline of insects and sterile gardens without shelter – and what each and every one of us can do about it. Hedgehog carer Bärbel Meißnitzer also appears in a photo.

“I came across it by chance and read that the animals are threatened with extinction – that hit me hard.”

— Ursula Ertl in the Kronen Zeitung (translated from German)
View the newspaper page (in German)

Also in the press

Hedgehog carer Bärbel Meißnitzer holds a hedgehog above the treatment table of her hedgehog station Newspaper
Kärntner Krone · 13 September 2026 · front page and pages 24/25

She runs a hospital for hedgehogs

A double-page spread about our hedgehog carer Bärbel Meißnitzer, who has been nursing injured hedgehogs back to health in her small care station in Obermillstatt for 30 years.

View article and photos (in German) →
Ursula Ertl stands on the SOS hedgehog nature trail holding two hedgehogs – photo detail from the Kärntner Krone article Newspaper
Kärntner Krone · 6 September 2026 · pages 18/19

Fighting for the animals’ survival

A double-page spread about the nature trail: why hedgehogs are on the Red List and how a school project became a LEADER project with 11 stations.

View both newspaper pages (in German) →

All press coverage in our press section (in German) →