Urban Hedgehog Welfare Hazards | Animal Welfare Hub

Urban gardens contain multiple hazards for hedgehogs beyond roads, including garden netting, strimmers, and ponds that cause preventable welfare harm to this declining species.

Key Facts

Hedgehog populations have declined 50% in urban areas since 2000
Garden netting causes entanglement deaths annually — particularly fruit netting
Strimmers kill hundreds of hedgehogs in gardens annually during evening activity periods
Garden ponds without exit ramps cause hedgehog drowning
Slug pellets containing metaldehyde (now banned) and copper-based alternatives can harm hedgehogs

Welfare Considerations

Urban garden hedgehog hazards are diverse and largely preventable: strimmers operated without checking vegetation for sheltering hedgehogs kill animals that are resting in the coolness of grass clumps; loose garden netting at ground level entraps hedgehogs whose spines become hopelessly entangled; ponds without gradual access cause drowning in animals unable to climb vertical sides. Each of these hazards is preventable through simple awareness and garden management adjustments that cost nothing but change a behaviour. Urban gardens that hedge-proof these hazards become welfare-positive rather than welfare-compromising habitats.

What You Can Do

Check long vegetation before using strimmers, especially at dusk
Raise or remove garden netting after harvest season to prevent entanglement
Install a pond ramp or gently sloping exit from any garden pond
Never use slug pellets — use physical barriers or biological controls instead
Support BHWT garden audit programmes promoting hedgehog-safe garden management