Image by: Tom Marshall
Hedgehogs need your help now
Our hedgehog population is on the decline with numbers dropping by up to 30% in urban areas and 50% in rural areas in the UK since 2000 and are now listed as ‘vulnerable’ on Britain’s Red List of animals of concern. You can see below the rapid rate at which our hedgehog population is vanishing:
Infographic take from the British Hedgehog Society "The State of Britain's Hedgehogs 2022" report
What is causing this?
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Habitat loss Loss of nesting and foraging habitat through development (urban) and hedgerow removal (rural) - hedgehogs struggle to find somewhere to breed and hibernate, and to find enough food to survive. |
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Habitat fragmentation Fencing, lack of connectivity through hedgerows and new road networks – hedgehogs can’t move from garden to garden finding new mates and food sources creating isolated populations. |
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Road casualties Up to 335,000 hedgehogs are estimated to die on British roads annually. Habitat modelling suggests that suburbs and villages are hotspots, with 9% of Britain’s road network classed as dangerous for hedgehogs. |
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Injuries Hedgehogs are brought to rescue centres with garden injuries (for example from strimmers, netting, dog bites). We can help this by checking our gardens before using strimmers or mowers, leaving wild areas and checking compost heaps which can make cosy homes for hedgehogs. |
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Lack of food Chemical such as pesticides and fertilisers can lead to poisoning, but largely reduces invertebrate diversity and adundance. This can increase hedgehog deaths from starvation and impact fertility. There are also concerns over secondary poisoning from rodenticides. |
Adopt a hedgehog
By adopting a hedgehog today, your money will go towards important conservation work such as managing nature reserves, creating new habitats and delivering educational activities to help more people understand how to protect this threatened creature.
Got a hedgehog lover in your life? Our adoptions also make great gifts! Just select ‘Buy as gift’ below and you can send your favourite hedgehog enthusiast an eco-friendly gift they’ll love.
Your Online Pack
For only £20 you will receive the following:
• Welcome email
• Personalised certificate of adoption
• Hedgehog Fact Sheet - learn all about these special animals and how you can help them at home in our own yards or gardens
• Photo of a hedgehog
• E-version of NWT's magazine Roebuck 3 times per year
• Quarterly e-newsletter featuring news from across the Trust, places to spot wildlife and guidance on how you can help
Image by: Tom Marshall.
Adopt a hedgehog
Receive an online information pack from only £20 a year
Please note that you are not actually adopting a real creature, but the money will go towards important conservation work in urban and rural locations. Also our online packs are personalised by our team after receiving your order so we may not be able to email out on the same day it is ordered (typically 1-2 days).