Hedgehog Population Decline: Garden Havens and Road Safety

Hedgehog populations in the UK have declined by over 50% since the year 2000. Garden-level actions can directly improve their welfare and support population recovery.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog populations fell from approximately 30 million in the 1950s to under 1 million today
Road deaths kill an estimated 100,000-300,000 hedgehogs annually in the UK alone
Garden boundaries including fences and walls prevent hedgehog movement between gardens where they need to travel 2km per night
Slug pellets containing metaldehyde poison hedgehogs that eat poisoned slugs — iron phosphate alternatives are safe
Hedgehogs hibernate from November to March and should not be disturbed during hibernation unless obviously ill

Welfare Considerations

Hedgehog decline is a welfare emergency that individuals can directly address through garden management. Hedgehogs need to move between multiple gardens nightly to find sufficient food and mates. Solid fences that prevent this movement effectively fragment their habitat at the neighborhood level. A 13cm gap cut in garden fences — the Hedgehog Street standard — allows movement at no functional cost to the garden. This, combined with pesticide reduction and hibernation site creation, represents meaningful direct welfare action for individual hedgehogs.

What You Can Do

Cut a 13cm square hole at the base of your garden fence on each side to create a hedgehog highway
Replace metaldehyde slug pellets with iron phosphate alternatives that do not harm hedgehogs
Leave an area of your garden wild with leaf litter and log piles for hedgehog hibernation and nesting
Provide fresh water for hedgehogs especially in dry summers
Join the Hedgehog Street initiative and map hedgehog holes in your neighborhood