Wildlife

Urban Hedgehog Welfare: Garden Hazards and Helps

Urban gardens present both hazards and opportunities for hedgehog welfare, with simple management changes making significant differences.

Key Facts

Urban hedgehog populations may be more stable than rural ones due to reduced road mortality
Uncovered drains trap hedgehogs and cause injury or death through drowning
Garden netting left low to the ground entangles hedgehogs causing severe injuries
Bonfires built in autumn often contain hibernating hedgehogs — lighting risks incineration

Welfare Considerations

Individual garden modifications aggregate into landscape-scale welfare improvements for hedgehog populations. Hedgehog highways connecting garden networks allow normal ranging without road crossing. Removing hazards prevents unnecessary injuries and deaths. Creating suitable habitat including log piles and leaf heaps provides overwintering sites that reduce winter starvation mortality.

What You Can Do

Create hedgehog gaps of 13cm in garden boundaries to allow movement without road crossing
Cover or secure open drains that could trap hedgehogs
Roll up garden netting when not actively in use to prevent entanglement
Build bonfires immediately before lighting rather than in advance — check for hibernating animals