Wild Hedgehog Garden Networks | Animal Welfare Hub

Connected garden networks — where neighboring properties create linked wildlife corridors — are among the most effective and accessible community-level interventions for hedgehog survival and welfare.

Key Facts

A single hedgehog typically ranges over 2 kilometers per night foraging for invertebrates
Gardens separated by solid fencing or walls become isolated islands that cannot support hedgehog populations
Small gaps cut in fence bases allow hedgehogs to move between gardens freely
The Hedgehog Street project has engaged over 100,000 households in creating connected gardens
Connected garden networks have measurably higher hedgehog activity than isolated properties
Coordinated street-level participation produces benefits impossible through individual garden action alone

Welfare Considerations

Hedgehog welfare is a community-level problem that individual garden improvements cannot fully address. A hedgehog-friendly garden surrounded by impenetrable fencing provides habitat for animals that cannot reach it. The welfare benefit of gap-cutting comes through network effects: multiple connected properties create a viable foraging range that supports animals through the night-long distances they must travel to meet their energy needs. This makes hedgehog welfare an unusually clear case where social coordination — talking to neighbors, organizing street-level participation — multiplies the welfare impact of any individual action.

What You Can Do

Cut a 13cm gap in your fence and ask your neighbors to do the same
Register your garden on the Hedgehog Street map to build connected corridor awareness
Coordinate with neighbors to create a continuous linked garden corridor
Share hedgehog welfare information with your street to build community participation
Support local wildlife groups that facilitate neighborhood-scale hedgehog conservation