Hedgehog Garden Welfare: Supporting Urban Wildlife

Hedgehog populations have declined dramatically in the UK. Gardens can provide vital refuge if managed appropriately, supporting individual hedgehog welfare and population recovery.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog populations have declined by over 50% since the year 2000
Hedgehogs need access to multiple gardens as they travel up to 2 km per night
Garden hazards including strimmers, ponds, and netting kill thousands annually
Supplementary feeding can support individual hedgehogs particularly in winter
Connected garden networks created by hedgehog highways are essential for movement

Welfare Considerations

Individual hedgehog welfare is affected by garden management choices including the use of pesticides that poison their invertebrate prey, impenetrable garden boundaries that prevent natural movement, and hazards that cause injury and death. Hedgehogs also face welfare challenges from mange, lungworm, and injury that often require rehabilitation. Supporting garden hedgehog welfare through connectivity, hazard reduction, and supplementary feeding benefits individual animals. Gardens that welcome hedgehogs also support the broader population recovery necessary for the species' long-term survival in Britain.

What You Can Do

Create a 13cm gap in your garden fence to allow hedgehog passage
Stop using slug pellets and pesticides that harm hedgehogs and their prey
Check before strimming long grass for sheltering hedgehogs
Cover ponds with mesh ramps to allow hedgehogs to escape if they fall in
Leave hedgehog-appropriate supplementary food (wet cat food or hedgehog food)
Report hedgehog sightings to Hedgehog Street citizen science mapping