Road infrastructure is one of the primary drivers of hedgehog population decline, with targeted wildlife crossing and barrier solutions providing evidence-based welfare interventions.
Hedgehog road mortality welfare represents a significant and systematic welfare harm that recurs annually with predictable spatial and temporal patterns. The sharp increase in hedgehog road deaths during May-July, when males are ranging widely in search of mates, identifies a key welfare risk period. The geographical concentration of deaths at specific crossing points along roads - where hedgehog movements intersect with traffic - means targeted interventions can have disproportionate welfare impact per unit cost. Wildlife crossing underpasses at identified high-mortality crossing points allow hedgehogs to pass under roads without entering traffic, with studies showing significant mortality reduction at instrumented sites. The design of existing culverts and drainage infrastructure affects whether hedgehogs use them naturally: culverts wider than 30cm and with appropriate internal conditions are used by hedgehogs without modification. Citizen science surveys of hedgehog road mortality using dead count protocols provide the spatial data needed to identify priority intervention sites, connecting volunteer effort directly to infrastructure investment decisions that reduce welfare harm at scale.