Wild Hedgehog Welfare and Garden Practices

UK hedgehog populations have declined by over 50% since the 1990s, and garden and land management practices play a significant role in both their welfare and population survival.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog populations declined from an estimated 36 million in the 1950s to under 1 million today.
Road mortality, loss of hedgerow habitat, and pesticide use reducing invertebrate prey are major population drivers.
Garden-dwelling hedgehogs are vulnerable to lawnmowers, strimmers, bonfires, ponds without exit ramps, and netting.
Creating hedgehog highways — 13cm holes in garden fences — connects habitat patches and enables foraging range access.
Feeding garden hedgehogs wet cat or dog food during autumn supports pre-hibernation weight gain and overwinter survival.

Welfare Considerations

Hedgehog welfare in gardens is affected by numerous common practices that injure or kill individuals at significant scale when summed across millions of UK gardens. Strimmers and lawnmowers kill hedgehogs resting in dense vegetation; ponds without exit ramps drown those that fall in; bonfires built in advance conceal hibernating hedgehogs that burn when fires are lit. Simple, low-cost changes to garden practice prevent substantial preventable suffering while supporting population recovery.

What You Can Do

Check long grass with a stick before strimming or mowing, particularly in late spring and autumn.
Install pond exit ramps and check bonfires for hedgehogs immediately before lighting.
Create hedgehog highway gaps in fences and leave areas of wild garden for shelter and foraging.
Avoid slug pellets containing metaldehyde or methiocarb — use iron phosphate alternatives that are safer for wildlife.