Hedgehog Decline and Garden Welfare Support

Western European hedgehog populations have declined by over 50% since the 1990s due to habitat loss, road mortality, and garden hazards, with gardens increasingly important as welfare refugia.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog populations fell from an estimated 30 million in the 1950s to under 1 million currently
Road mortality kills an estimated 335,000 hedgehogs annually in the UK alone
Garden hazards including strimmers, bonfires, slug pellets, and ponds cause significant hedgehog deaths and injuries
Metaldehyde and ferric phosphate slug pellets can poison hedgehogs directly or through poisoned prey
Hedgehog highways — 13cm gaps in garden fences — allow territorial movement essential for foraging and mating
Hedgehogs travel up to 2km per night; garden connectivity is critical for population viability
Supplementary feeding with wet cat or dog food supports hedgehogs in resource-poor urban environments

Welfare Considerations

Hedgehogs in road collisions suffer acute traumatic injury and death. Those that survive collisions often have broken limbs requiring amputation or euthanasia. Slug pellet poisoning causes painful neurological symptoms and slow death. Strimmer injuries cause horrific lacerations requiring intensive rehabilitation. Garden ponds cause drowning when escape ramps are absent. The cumulative effect of these hazards in a landscape of fragmented gardens drives population decline. Simple garden modifications have measurable population-level welfare impact at scale.

What You Can Do

Create a 13cm hedgehog highway gap in your garden fence and register it on hedgehogstreet.org
Add a pond escape ramp made from chicken wire to any garden pond
Never use metaldehyde slug pellets — use ferric phosphate alternatives or physical slug control
Check bonfires for hedgehogs before lighting, and check long grass before strimming
Provide fresh water and wet cat or dog food to support hedgehogs visiting your garden