Britain's hedgehog population has declined by a third in the last decade, and garden habitats can play a significant welfare role through food provision, passage access, and reduction of chemical hazards.
Hedgehogs face multiple welfare harms in the modern UK garden. Slug pellets poison them directly or reduce their prey. Garden chemicals deplete the invertebrate prey base. Enclosed gardens without boundary gaps prevent the wide ranging they need for food, mates, and hibernation sites. Poorly sited bonfires and strimmer use kill hibernating or resting hedgehogs. Climate disruption of hibernation timing - with some hedgehogs emerging too early - leaves them physiologically unprepared for cold snaps. Simple garden modifications provide direct welfare benefits to these beloved mammals.