Hedgehog Garden Welfare: Supporting Declining Urban Wildlife

Hedgehog populations have declined by over 50% in the UK since the millennium. Garden management and road infrastructure choices profoundly affect the welfare of this beloved species.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog populations have fallen from 30 million in the 1950s to under 1 million today
Road mortality kills an estimated 100,000-300,000 hedgehogs annually in the UK
Hedgehogs require access to multiple gardens to meet their ranging needs of 2-3 km per night
Solid garden fencing prevents hedgehog movement; 13cm gaps at the base allow passage
Pesticides and slug pellets reduce the invertebrate prey base that hedgehogs depend on
Hedgehogs hibernate from November to March; disturbance of hibernation nests causes significant mortality
Garden bonfires built on leaf piles are a major cause of hedgehog death from burning
Feeding hedgehogs wet cat or dog food and water helps individuals in poor condition

Welfare Considerations

Urban and suburban hedgehogs navigate a landscape fragmented by solid fencing, busy roads, and gardens managed intensively with pesticides and tidy practices that eliminate invertebrate food and nesting cover. Individual hedgehogs injured by road vehicles, lawnmowers, or strimmers face painful deaths or injuries requiring wildlife hospital care. The cumulative impact of these individual welfare events drives population-level decline. Simple garden management changes have disproportionately positive welfare effects: creating hedgehog highways through fence gaps, leaving log piles and leaf litter for hibernation, avoiding slug pellets, and checking bonfires before lighting all reduce individual animal suffering while cumulatively supporting population viability.

What You Can Do

Create a 13cm gap in your garden fence to allow hedgehog movement between gardens
Leave areas of your garden wild with leaf litter and log piles for nesting and foraging
Avoid metaldehyde and ferric phosphate slug pellets and choose wildlife-friendly alternatives
Check bonfire piles for hedgehogs before lighting and build on the day rather than in advance
Provide fresh water and wet cat or dog food for hedgehogs visiting your garden
Support British Hedgehog Preservation Society and hedgehog rescue centers