Badgers predate hedgehogs and compete with them for invertebrate food resources. In areas with high badger density, hedgehog populations can be locally suppressed. The relationship is complex and the welfare implications for hedgehogs are ongoing topics of research.
Hedgehogs in areas with high badger density face increased predation risk and competition for food. Predation by badgers is a natural ecological interaction, but in fragmented landscapes with few hedgehogs remaining, each predation event has greater conservation significance. Welfare assessment must consider both the hedgehog prey and the badger predator as sentient animals with legitimate welfare interests. Lethal badger control is not an acceptable welfare solution for hedgehog conservation.