The Urban Hedgehog

In the recent State of Britain’s Hedgehog’s Report 2022, its data reveals that hedgehog populations are becoming more stable than those in rural areas. In todays blog we're sharing the latest news and how you can help our spikey friends!

Hedgehogs are one of Britain’s most loved species, but unfortunately have suffered a long historic decline in numbers and in 2020, hedgehogs were named on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable to extinction in Great Britain. Two of the main dangers hedgehogs face is lack of suitable habitat and landscape connections. However, it’s not all doom and gloom for our loveable, spikey friends as in the recent State of Britain’s Hedgehog’s Report 2022, published by People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS), reveals that urban areas are seeing a stable population compared to those in rural areas.

Despite road casualties being the highest around urban areas, gardens with features such as 'hedgehog highways', and other green spaces such as parkland around these urban landscapes have become a refuge for hedgehogs. However, there is still lots to be done and in terms of an urban rewilding initiative, it’s now time to start thinking of cities as landscapes if we want to continue to help hedgehogs and other wildlife species aswell.

What can be done to help hedgehogs?

No matter how big or small the action may be, there are plenty of ways you can help hedgehogs in your own garden and communities. By working together we can help build a wilder future for hedgehogs.

Hedgehog Highways

Did you know hedgehogs travel around one mile every night, in search for food and a mate? In order for them to do this, they need to be able to move freely between gardens and other green spaces. A simple way to allow hedgehogs to travel through one garden to another is to made a hole (13cm gap or CD case sized square) in a fence or dig a channel beneath garden boundaries to connect your gardens.

Grow Don't Mow

You can take part in our #GrowDontMow challenge, lock the lawnmower away and turn a small patch or your whole garden wild! Having an overgrown section in your garden can be a huge benefit to hedgehogs as it becomes a great nesting or hibernation site. Having overgrown patches also attracts more insects to the garden, which becomes a food source for hedgehogs!

Ponds

A pond is a simple way to attract many types of wildlife to your garden and provides a year-round water supply for hedgehogs. Did you know hedgehogs are in fact excellent swimmers? However, just make sure that you create a sloping edge or ramp where hedgehogs can climb out if they accidently fall in.

Say no to chemicals

Hedgehogs feed on a number of things, but their diet is predominantly made up of invertebrates such as worms, beetles, slugs, caterpillars, earwigs and millipedes. The use of pesticides, such as slug pellets, can seriously harm hedgehogs and have been fatal in most cases. There are many pesticide-free ways to deter 'pests' from your garden, however they play a vital part in a hedgehogs diet aswell as other wildlife species such as birds who will naturally keep them under control!

Build a hedgehog home

Another helpful garden feature is to have your own hedgehog house. You could have a go at building your own or purchasing a specially made hedgehog house. A hedgehog house will create a safe haven for hedgehogs to hibernate. For a more simple idea, you could leave a pile of leaves in a safe space in your garden, which makes a potential nesting site.