Hedgehog Welfare and Garden Safety

Hedgehog populations in the UK have declined by 50% since 2000. Garden management and hazard reduction are among the most impactful individual actions for hedgehog welfare.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog numbers have fallen from 36 million in the 1950s to under 1 million today
Garden hazards including strimmers, bonfires, ponds, and netting kill tens of thousands of hedgehogs annually
Slug pellets containing metaldehyde (now banned in UK) and pesticide-treated prey cause secondary poisoning
Hedgehogs travel up to 2 km per night through connected gardens — fencing that prevents movement is a major threat
A solitary creature for most of the year, hedgehogs need leaf piles and compost heaps for hibernation
They are natural slug and snail controllers — a hedgehog-friendly garden needs fewer pesticides

Welfare Considerations

Hedgehog welfare in gardens is almost entirely determined by the choices of individual householders — making garden management one of the most direct welfare interventions available to ordinary people. Checking bonfires and compost heaps before lighting or turning, cutting grass with a strimmer at maximum height before checking for hedgehogs, creating 13cm square holes in fences to allow movement, and removing netting at ground level are all simple, cost-free welfare improvements. Gardens that support hedgehogs support an endangered species experiencing acute welfare harm from entirely preventable causes.

What You Can Do

Create a 13cm square hedgehog highway hole in all solid garden fences and walls
Check bonfires and compost heaps for hedgehogs before lighting or turning
Cut grass at maximum strimmer height and check carefully before strimming near vegetation
Remove or raise netting above hedgehog access height at night
Leave areas of leaf litter, log piles, and dense vegetation as hibernation and shelter habitat