Hedgehog Population Decline and Urban Survival

European hedgehog populations have declined by over 50% since 2000 — urban gardens can help.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog numbers have fallen from 30 million in the 1950s to under 1 million today
Garden fencing is a primary cause of hedgehog mortality and range restriction
Hedgehogs travel up to 2km per night and need connected habitat corridors
Slug pellets containing metaldehyde and pesticides kill hedgehogs directly and through prey

Welfare Considerations

Hedgehog declines represent a welfare and conservation crisis. Individual hedgehogs suffer from entanglement in garden netting, drowning in uncovered ponds, lawnmower injuries, and slug pellet poisoning. At the population level, garden fencing fragments the habitat corridors hedgehogs need to find mates and food. Urban gardens collectively represent significant hedgehog habitat that, with simple modifications, could support recovering populations. Individual garden interventions connected across neighborhoods can create functional wildlife corridors.

What You Can Do

Create a 13cm hedgehog highway hole in the base of garden fences
Remove garden netting at night or raise it off the ground
Use wildlife-safe slug control methods — copper tape, beer traps, or hand picking
Avoid garden pesticides that kill hedgehog prey insects