Hedgehog Urban Decline and Garden Connectivity

Hedgehog populations in the UK have declined by up to 50% since 2000 due to agricultural intensification and urban garden fragmentation, but simple habitat improvements can support local populations.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog populations have declined from an estimated 36 million in the 1950s to fewer than 1 million today
Urban hedgehog populations are declining at a rate comparable to rural populations, contrary to earlier assumptions
Hedgehogs travel up to 2 kilometres per night foraging; solid garden fences fragment their movement
Slug pellets containing metaldehyde were banned in the UK in 2022 due to risks to hedgehogs and other wildlife
Hedgehogs eat beetles, earthworms, and caterpillars, making them natural pest controllers in gardens
Hedgehog Street is a citizen science project that has created over 100,000 hedgehog highways across the UK

Welfare Considerations

Hedgehogs face welfare impacts from multiple sources in urban environments. Solid garden fencing prevents movement between foraging areas, leading to nutritional stress and reduced reproductive success. Slug pellets and other pesticides directly poison hedgehogs that consume treated prey. Garden netting and machinery cause entanglement and injury. Roads cause high mortality, particularly in autumn when young hedgehogs are dispersing. Bonfire piles are used as hibernation sites; uncheck fires cause horrific injuries or death to hibernating animals. In winter, hedgehogs failing to gain adequate pre-hibernation weight struggle to survive through hibernation, leading to starvation deaths in cold periods. Each of these welfare impacts is addressable through simple garden management changes and community coordination to create connected wildlife corridors through suburban landscapes.

What You Can Do

Cut a 13cm square hole in your garden fence to create a hedgehog highway and register it with Hedgehog Street
Stop using pesticides, especially slug pellets, in your garden
Check bonfires and leaf piles for hedgehogs before lighting or disturbing them
Provide supplementary food (meaty cat food or hedgehog food, not bread or milk) and fresh water
Create log piles or hedgehog houses as nesting and hibernation habitat
Support the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and local hedgehog rescue groups