Wild Hedgehog Garden Connectivity and Welfare

How garden boundary design affects hedgehog movement, survival, and welfare across urban and suburban landscapes.

Key Facts

Hedgehog populations in the UK have declined by approximately 50% since the year 2000
Hedgehogs require territories of up to 2km per night to meet foraging, mating, and nesting needs
Solid garden boundaries including walls and solid fencing prevent hedgehog movement between gardens
A 13cm x 13cm hole at the base of fencing or walls allows hedgehog passage while excluding most other animals
The Hedgehog Street campaign has created over 100,000 hedgehog highways in UK gardens
Pesticide use, particularly slug pellets containing metaldehyde, was a major cause of hedgehog mortality
Bonfire piles and strimmers are significant causes of hedgehog injury and mortality

Welfare Considerations

Urban and suburban garden connectivity is perhaps the single most actionable intervention available to members of the public wishing to help hedgehog welfare. Hedgehogs are unable to maintain healthy population densities in fragmented landscapes where their natural movement is blocked by solid boundaries. The welfare consequences of isolation include starvation, failure to mate, inability to find hibernation sites, and population collapse. The hedgehog highway concept is elegant in its simplicity - a small hole in a fence costs nothing and can provide a lifeline to an increasingly threatened species.

What You Can Do

Cut a 13cm x 13cm hole at the base of your garden fence or gate to create a hedgehog highway
Register your highway at www.hedgehogstreet.org to connect with neighbors
Avoid slug pellets - use copper tape, beer traps, or encourage natural slug predators instead
Check compost heaps and leaf piles before disturbing to avoid injuring hibernating hedgehogs
Leave areas of wild vegetation in your garden as nesting and foraging habitat