Hedgehog Decline in the UK: Causes and Conservation

UK hedgehog populations have fallen by at least 50% since the year 2000, driven by habitat loss, road mortality, pesticide use and garden boundary changes.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog numbers have declined from an estimated 30 million in the 1950s to under 1 million today
Road traffic kills an estimated 100,000-200,000 hedgehogs annually in the UK
Badger predation, while natural, has increased as hedgehogs retreat into suburban gardens
Rodenticides ingested from poisoned prey animals cause secondary poisoning in hedgehogs
Hedgehog Street campaign has created over 110,000 Hedgehog Champions across the UK

Welfare Considerations

Individual hedgehog welfare intersects with population conservation: injured road casualty hedgehogs — found by the hundreds of thousands each year — experience acute trauma, and only a fraction reach wildlife rehabilitation. Secondary rodenticide poisoning causes slow multi-organ failure. Hedgehogs trapped in uncut garden netting, garden machinery and bonfires suffer preventable deaths. Beyond individual suffering, the collapse of a species that has existed for 15 million years represents an irreversible impoverishment of the natural world.

What You Can Do

Cut a 13cm x 13cm hole in your garden fence to create a hedgehog highway with neighbours
Stop using slug pellets and rodenticides that poison hedgehogs through the food chain
Check bonfires and long grass before cutting or burning during hedgehog active season
Join Hedgehog Street and register your garden as hedgehog-friendly habitat
Contact your local wildlife hospital if you find an injured or underweight hedgehog