Wild Hedgehog Urban Garden Connectivity

Urban hedgehog populations depend on connected garden networks, with garden boundaries being the most important structural barrier to range and survival.

Key Facts

Hedgehogs require territories of 10-100 hectares in urban areas, crossing multiple gardens nightly
Solid garden walls and fences prevent movement between food and shelter resources
A national Hedgehog Street campaign has cut thousands of hedgehog-sized holes in UK fences
Individual hedgehogs tracked by GPS demonstrate use of 5-30 gardens per night
Urban hedgehog populations are declining faster than rural populations in the UK

Welfare Considerations

Urban garden connectivity is the most important structural welfare intervention for hedgehogs in towns and cities. Without movement between gardens, individual hedgehogs cannot access sufficient food, shelter, and mating partners within a connected habitat network. Solitary hedgehogs trapped in isolated garden fragments face malnutrition and reproductive failure. Each hedgehog highway hole creates the possibility of connection that improves the welfare of all hedgehogs using that network.

What You Can Do

Cut a 13cm square hole in your garden fence to create a hedgehog highway
Register your hedgehog highway hole on the Hedgehog Street website
Encourage neighbours to create connecting holes to form a network
Leave areas of wild garden with leaf litter and dense planting for hedgehog shelter
Support the British Hedgehog Preservation Society's urban connectivity campaigns