Hedgehog Road Mortality and Garden Corridor Design

Hedgehogs are declining rapidly in the UK partly due to road mortality - connecting gardens and removing barriers enables movement corridors that are essential for population recovery.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog populations have declined by over 50% since 2000 in rural areas and by up to 30% in towns
Road mortality kills an estimated 100,000-300,000 hedgehogs annually on UK roads
Hedgehogs travel up to 2 km per night through interconnected garden and green space networks
Garden fences without gaps prevent hedgehog movement between territories and reduce genetic diversity
The 13 cm by 13 cm hedgehog highway gap under garden fences has become a widely adopted standard
Street lighting and habitat fragmentation affect hedgehog behaviour and population connectivity
Urban hedgehog populations may be buffered against agricultural declines but face different mortality pressures

Welfare Considerations

Hedgehog welfare at the population level requires landscape-scale connectivity. Road mortality causes acute trauma - hedgehogs' defensive curling response is fatal against vehicles. Individual welfare harm from road strikes is severe and immediate. At the population level, fragmented habitats prevent gene flow and reduce population viability. Garden corridor networks address both issues by enabling movement without road crossings. Community-level adoption of hedgehog-friendly garden design creates connected habitat patches that can sustain viable local populations. The evidence base for garden corridor effectiveness is growing through citizen science monitoring.

What You Can Do

Cut a 13x13 cm gap in garden fences to create hedgehog highways between gardens
Register your hedgehog highway with Hedgehog Street to contribute to national mapping
Avoid using slug pellets containing metaldehyde or methiocarb that poison hedgehogs
Create log piles and leaf heaps as nesting and hibernation habitat in gardens
Drive carefully at night on rural roads where hedgehog road mortality is concentrated