Worryingly, studies suggest the number of hedgehogs in Britain has decreased by 50% in recent years. Several surveys, by conservation and wildlife groups, suggest this rapid decline has taken place during the past 25 years.
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How many hedgehogs are there in the UK?
Recent studies, by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, have suggested there are an estimated 750,000 hedgehogs left in the UK. Although this may sound like a large number, it is only half of the 1.5 million population in 1995.
Unfortunately, research into the hedgehog population was almost non-existent prior to the second half of the 20th century. Studies in the 1950s suggested there were some 30 million hedgehogs in Britain, but in the 1990s, scientists admitted this was probably an over-estimation.
After reassessing the data, it is estimated there were 1.5 million in 1995. Unfortunately, only 50% of this number of hedgehogs survive today. This figure is based on data from various studies, including the number of hedgehogs spotted in the wild; the number of deceased hedgehogs on our roads; and regular sightings by householders in their own gardens.
Research carried out jointly by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the RSPB and the British Trust for Ornithology for the annual Breeding Bird Survey has also noted a marked decline in the hedgehog population. The survey began in 1996 to study birds and small mammals and has recorded a significant decline in hedgehogs in the past 13 years alone.
Why are UK hedgehog numbers rapidly decreasing?
The main reasons for the decline in hedgehog numbers include a loss of their natural habitat; the loss of their food chain; more being killed on the roads; the use of pesticides; and more garden fencing preventing them from wandering about freely to find food. Scientists describe the combination of reasons as "complex", with no one factor standing out as causing their rapid decline.
In the wider countryside, the hedgehogs' natural habitat has been reduced. There are fewer hedgerows, which they traditionally use as nesting sites and "corridors" where they can move about safely.
The loss of permanent pastures has meant hedgehogs have less places to forage for food. Added to this, the widespread use of pesticides is killing more of the invertebrates that hedgehogs like to eat, leading to a break in their natural food chain.
Hedgehogs living in towns and cities have the same problems. Using pesticides in our garden to keep the slug population down is having an adverse effect on hedgehogs. Our increasing use of fencing obstructs their natural movement between gardens.
Wildlife charities have labelled it our "obsession with keeping green spaces tidy", leading to gardens being boxed off with fences. Patches of wild flowers and undergrowth are being pulled up and pesticides are being put down to keep away the bugs.
Sadly, as our roads get busier, hedgehogs are being killed by traffic. A survey by the People's Trust for Endangered Species estimates around 150,000 hedgehogs are killed on UK roads every year, citing this as a reason for their decline.
Why are hedgehogs so important to the environment?
Apart from hedgehogs playing their natural role in the food chain, they are also viewed as indicating the general health of the natural world.
As they eat soil invertebrates, when the number of hedgehogs declines significantly, this means the quality of the environment has declined. It indicates there are less invertebrates, which causes wider concern about the state of our ecosystem, should the decline continue.
What can we do to help the hedgehog?
The main thing we can do to help hedgehogs is to encourage them back into our gardens by providing a hospitable living space.
A good time to see a hedgehog in your garden is on a summer evening. Being nocturnal creatures, they are most likely to be out foraging for food after dark on warm nights. They hibernate between November and March, so you will be unlikely to spot one over winter.
When hibernating, hedgehogs prefer dry places such as under the garden shed, in compost heaps, under hedges, or even in an overgrown spot in the garden. Encourage them to stay by providing a durable container as a hedgehog home that will keep them warm and dry.
Be very careful when mowing the lawn, or disturbing overgrown spaces in your garden, as there could well be a hedgehog hidden from view. Always check before you do anything that might harm them, or their habitat.
In the autumn and winter months, leave fallen leaves, twigs and other greenery for hedgehogs to nest in. They will prepare for hibernation by taking the nesting materials into the box you have provided.
In late summer, the young hedgehogs born in spring will leave their mother to become independent. Their natural food supply including worms, insects, slugs and various invertebrates, will start to dwindle, so always leave food out for them.
You can buy hedgehog food either online, or in a pet store, these days. Never leave milk out for hedgehogs. Contrary to common belief, it isn't god for their digestive system.
Leave a dog or cat bowl of water in the garden and put fresh food out for them every night in a suitable container that can be cleaned easily and reused. Change their water daily to avoid it going stagnant.
In addition, transform your garden into a "hedgehog highway" so they can leave and enter freely. They travel long distances after dark in search of food, so don't have a completely solid fence and gate. Leave a 10 cm square space for them to walk though.
When you have a garden pond, always have a "ladder" so hedgehogs and other small mammals can get in and out. Build a ramp to help them. It can be as simple as a plank wrapped in chicken wire, so their feet can get a grip to help them out of the water.
Don't let hedgehogs become a thing of the past: help them to survive in an increasingly hostile climate by creating a safe haven for these fascinating night-time visitors.