Hedgehog Population Decline and Garden Welfare

British hedgehog populations have fallen dramatically, with garden habitat fragmentation, road traffic, and changing agricultural landscapes driving the decline.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog populations have declined by around 50% since the 1990s and continue to fall
Road traffic kills an estimated 100,000 hedgehogs annually in Britain
Garden fencing and boundary walls fragment habitat, preventing hedgehogs from ranging the 2km+ they need nightly
Slug pellets containing metaldehyde were banned in 2022 after evidence of hedgehog poisoning
Secondary poisoning from rodenticides used against rats and mice harms hedgehogs throughout the food chain
Hedgehog Street is a campaign connecting gardens into hedgehog highways through 13cm gaps in fences

Welfare Considerations

Hedgehogs struck by vehicles face traumatic injury and death or prolonged suffering from internal injuries. Individuals trapped in fragmented garden environments may be unable to find sufficient food, mates, or hibernation sites. Garden netting entangles hedgehogs, causing injury and starvation. Secondary poisoning from rodenticides causes internal bleeding and death over days. All of these threats are largely preventable with relatively simple human behavior changes.

What You Can Do

Cut a 13cm gap in your garden fence to create a hedgehog highway to neighboring gardens
Avoid using slug pellets and rodenticides that can harm hedgehogs
Check bonfire piles before lighting as hedgehogs use them for shelter
Register your hedgehog gap with the Hedgehog Street project to map hedgehog corridors
Report hedgehog sightings to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society's monitoring program