Hedgehog Conservation and Garden Connectivity

Western European hedgehog populations have declined by over 50% since the 1990s, with garden fencing and habitat fragmentation identified as key drivers requiring community action.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog populations declined from 30 million in the 1950s to an estimated 1-2 million today
Impermeable garden fencing prevents hedgehog movement between territories needed for foraging
A 13cm x 13cm hole in garden fencing allows hedgehog passage without excluding other animals
Road mortality is estimated to kill 167,000 hedgehogs annually in the UK
Hedgehogs eat slugs, beetles, and other garden invertebrates providing natural pest control

Welfare Considerations

Hedgehogs in fragmented garden landscapes face chronic nutritional stress from inability to range adequately for their nightly foraging needs. Hedgehogs traveling through unsuitable habitat to connect food patches face heightened road strike risk. Individual hedgehogs injured by strimmers, garden machinery, and toxic slug pellets experience acute welfare harms. Community-level connectivity initiatives that link gardens into larger foraging networks represent one of the most tractable wild animal welfare interventions available to ordinary people.

What You Can Do

Create a 13x13cm hole in your garden fence to allow hedgehog passage between gardens
Join Hedgehog Street and register your garden as hedgehog friendly
Avoid slug pellets containing metaldehyde which are toxic to hedgehogs and other wildlife
Create log piles and leaf mounds that provide hedgehog hibernation and foraging habitat
Check long grass and compost heaps carefully before mowing or turning to avoid injuring hedgehogs