Prickly on top, soft underneath, remind you of anyone? Of all the UK’s woodland creatures, the hedgehog is probably the animal I feel the most affinity with – if for no other reason than a love for Dick King-Smith’s children’s classic, The Hodgeheg. They also spend most of their lives sleeping, which I’m sure many of us can relate to…
Yet despite being one of the most beloved wild animals in the UK, hedgehog numbers have been in dramatic decline since the millennium. To be exact, a third of the population has disappeared since 2000, while some studies put this number as high as 75%! It’s been caused by many reasons, but it’s largely believed to be because of habitat loss and pesticides.
But wait, it’s not all doom and gloom, as we have some good news to share. It appears that hedgehog sightings are on the rise, finally. In an annual survey, BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine recently revealed that 33% of respondents saw a hedgehog in their garden in 2023. A small but significant jump of 2% from 2022 (with 31% reporting sightings.)
City-dwellers like us should be excited too, as the biggest sighting increase was actually in urban areas – with a 2.7% increase in hedgehog sightings. 18% of respondents in urban areas saw hedgehogs, while 43% of respondents in rural areas did (a jump of 1%). It was only a small survey though, with Gardeners’ World recording the responses of only 2,000 people…
“Valuable as the Gardeners’ World survey is, we need to remember that these figures are only a snapshot,” said Fay Vass, the CEO of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. “Populations change year to year, and these findings might not necessarily represent the underlying trend.”
Tracking hedgehog populations can feel like a Herculean task at times, but a new pilot project – using AI, trail cameras and volunteers – aims to give better estimations of different habitats across the country. The three-year project, the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme, will be used to identify what threats hedgehogs face and how to “reverse the decline of this iconic species”.
To learn more about the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme and get involved head here.
How do I encourage hedgehogs in my garden?
- Build a hedgehog home for them to hibernate in
- Leave out water and food (like cat or dog food) overnight
- Leave gaps in your fence so they can move freely between green spaces
- Leave out a section of your garden “wild”
- Avoid using slug pellets and other poisonous items