Hedgehog Welfare: Britain's Favourite Mammal in Serious Decline

Hedgehogs are among the UK's most loved wildlife but have declined by around a third since 2000. Their welfare depends on garden-friendly practices and safer road environments.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog populations have fallen by around 30% since 2000 and by 50% since the 1990s
Around one million hedgehogs now remain, compared to 30 million in the 1950s
Road mortality kills an estimated 100,000 hedgehogs per year in the UK
Garden chemicals, slug pellets, and strimmers injure and kill hedgehogs
Hedgehogs are beneficial predators of slugs, beetles, and other garden invertebrates
They hibernate from November to March but mild winters can cause premature arousal and starvation

Welfare Considerations

Hedgehog welfare is compromised across multiple pathways simultaneously. Road mortality is traumatic and direct. Metaldehyde slug pellets cause seizures and a slow death. Garden strimmers cause severe injuries to hibernating animals. The loss of connected garden habitats has isolated hedgehog populations, reducing genetic diversity and food access. The welfare remedy involves thousands of individual human decisions: creating hedgehog gaps in fences, removing slug pellets, checking before strimming, and creating hedgehog-friendly hibernation sites.

What You Can Do

Create a 13cm gap at the base of garden fences to allow hedgehog movement
Never use metaldehyde or methiocarb slug pellets - use ferric phosphate instead
Check garden areas thoroughly before using strimmers in spring and summer
Create a hedgehog house in a quiet corner of the garden for hibernation
Donate to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and Hedgehog Street campaign