By Grace Johnson, Hedgehog Street

Photo: Ginny Bradley via Hedgehog Street.

Hedgehogs are a beloved species in the UK and frequently top polls of our favourite wild mammal. Sadly though numbers have declined rapidly in recent years. According to the State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2018 report, published by People's Trust for Endangered Species and British Hedgehog Preservation Society, we have lost half of rural hedgehogs and a third of urban hedgehogs since the millennium. These worrying declines are a result of hedgehogs in the UK facing a variety of threats including habitat loss and roadkill.

The good news is that we can help our local hedgehogs by making small changes at home. Gardens are fast becoming a stronghold for hedgehogs in an increasingly developed and fragmented world. First and foremost, gardens need to be linked together with ‘Hedgehog Highways’; small gaps at the base of garden fences to allow hedgehog movement. They can travel an average of a mile in a single night, so need access to plenty of gardens in their search for food, shelter and mates. A small 13cm x 13cm gap through or under fences will greatly increase your chances of a hedgehog spot!

Photo: Beverley Stafford via Hedgehog Street.

Avoiding the use of chemicals in the garden is another crucial step towards helping hedgehogs, as well as other garden wildlife. Once slug pellets enter the food chain, they cause fatal poisoning of not only hedgehogs, but birds that feed on them as well. Leaving a ‘wild’, undisturbed patch of the garden will also be a vital source of food and shelter for hedgehogs.

As we approach the hibernation season, other ways to help hedgehogs are with supplementary food and hedgehog houses. In autumn, hedgehogs need to eat plenty in order to store enough energy for hibernation, and we can help them by leaving out meaty cat or dog food and a shallow dish of water. Bread and milk can cause illness and should be avoided at all costs. Small hedgehog houses make a nice addition to the garden and can be purchased online, or built using instructions at hedgehogstreet.org.

Photo: Fiona Prince via Hedgehog Street.

You can find more tips for helping hedgehogs on the Hedgehog Street website: hedgehogstreet.org. Hedgehog Street was set up by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and People’s Trust for Endangered Species in order to raise awareness of the decline of UK hedgehogs and how we can all help them. You can also log your sightings and check for local hogs online using the Big Hedgehog Map!