Urban Hedgehog Welfare Threats | Animal Welfare Hub

Hedgehog populations have declined dramatically in the UK, with a range of urban threats contributing to a welfare crisis for one of Britain's most beloved mammals.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog populations have declined by approximately 50% since 2000
Urban hedgehogs face threats including garden netting, strimmers, bonfires, and slug pellets
Road mortality kills an estimated 100,000-300,000 hedgehogs annually in the UK
Hedgehogs range up to 2km per night and need permeable garden boundaries
Slug pellets containing metaldehyde and methiocarb are toxic to hedgehogs
The British Hedgehog Preservation Society estimates urban populations are now more stable than rural ones

Welfare Considerations

Individual hedgehogs experience acute suffering from netting entanglement, strimmer injuries, and road collisions - some of the most preventable causes of wildlife casualties in the UK. At the population level, the collapse represents an enormous aggregate loss of hedgehog wellbeing. The encouraging finding that urban hedgehog populations may be stabilising demonstrates that people-powered conservation - garden connectivity, hazard removal, supplementary feeding during drought - can make a genuine difference. Small individual actions aggregate to measurable population-level impact.

What You Can Do

Cut 13cm holes in garden fences and walls to create hedgehog highways
Check garden areas carefully before using strimmers or mowing
Never use metaldehyde or methiocarb slug pellets
Build a log pile or hedgehog house for winter hibernation
Report hedgehog sightings to the Big Hedgehog Map to support population monitoring