Hedgehogs are some of our most beloved mammals, but sadly their numbers have been in decline over the last few decades. Many factors including urbanisation and intensive agriculture have led to habitat loss for hedgehogs, putting them under increasing pressure; in fact, according to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, there are estimated to be less than a million remaining in the wild. However – there are some heartening signs of recovery. 

Even though urbanisation and development have been major contributing factors to hedgehogs’ historic decline, it’s urban and suburban areas which have emerged as a potential lifeline when looking at the numbers from the last few years. 

The most recent State of Britain’s Hedgehogs report by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and People’s Trust for Endangered Species, from 2022, demonstrated how populations in urban areas are showing signs of stabilisation and even recovery. This shows just how important our simple actions at home can be in giving vulnerable species a space to thrive. We saw so many examples of this in the survey results, which was fantastic to see! 

Findings from this year’s survey 

We received 796 responses in total this year, reporting sightings of 1,233 hedgehogs. The sighting numbers overall were down 33% from 1,850 hedgehogs in last year’s survey. 

• 522 people reported seeing a lone hedgehog 

• 257 people reported seeing more than one hedgehog at once 

• Some people spotted entire families of hedgehogs in groups of up to 5 or 6 at once 

• Some lucky respondents saw as many as 8-10 hedgehogs in smaller groups over the course of one night 

• 17 people reported not having seen a hedgehog this autumn (although 3 of these 17 people reported signs of hedgehogs nearby, such as food being eaten overnight, droppings being left or tracks being spotted!) 

• 3 people reported having never seen a hedgehog where they live. 

There were also unfortunately quite a few mentions of unwell or injured hedgehogs, with 31 respondents thankfully contacting their local rescue centres to help make sure the hogs got the care they needed. It’s always important to get in touch with your local rescue centre for advice if you do see a hedgehog out during the day, or looking unwell.  

Sadly, there were 15 responses which mentioned sightings of dead hedgehogs, mainly by the side of roads. This highlights one of the main dangers of urban spaces for these creatures; hedgehogs can roam around 2km in a single night, and the disconnected and fragmented green spaces in our towns and cities can make these journeys extremely dangerous.  

Of the 796 responses, 432 of these (54%) mentioned a garden. 24 sightings mention a drive or driveway; 28 sightings mention fields; 80 sightings mention a road; and 6 sightings mention rural or semi-rural surroundings. Of course, many of these will overlap with each other (for example, the same sighting may have mentioned a garden and a driveway).  

This trend suggests that the majority of responses came from urban rather than rural areas. This aligns with the wider national picture, where urban hedgehog populations are recovering but rural populations are still struggling. It could also stem from the fact that most responses would naturally have come from busier places such as town and cities, where there were more people to take part in the survey. Either way; it shows how important our gardens and other green spaces close to home can be for our hedgehogs! 

Positive news from this year’s survey 

The main thing that’s been wonderful to see from this year’s responses is just how many people across our region are taking steps to make their gardens and outdoor spaces welcoming and safe for hedgehogs (and wildlife in general). Here are just some of the actions that you took to help hedgehogs at home: 

• 207 of you mentioned food, 97 mentioned water, and 72 of you mentioned a feeding station – however your hedgehog restaurants are set up, you’ve been keeping them well fed ready for hibernation this winter! 

• 71 of you mentioned having a camera set up to watch over your visitors 

• 38 of you mentioned having hedgehog houses, providing shelter and safety 

• 18 of you mentioned gaps in fences, ‘hedgehog highways’ you’ve created to help them move from garden to garden and linking together fragmented habitat 

• Many of you mentioned letting grass grow long, providing log piles for shelter, avoiding chemicals on your lawn, growing plants to encourage invertebrates, and many other actions you’ve been taking to provide a great habitat for hedgehogs. 

If you’ve been taking actions like these to help encourage wildlife to thrive in your own green space, we’d love to hear about it! Let us know what you’ve been doing for wildlife and celebrate your wild garden. 

Where were the most popular areas for hedgehog sightings? 

Below are some of the most popular hotspots across our region where your sightings came from. We had sightings come in from every corner of our region (and even further afield), but these were some of the most mentioned locations: 

Preston – 134 

Manchester – 67 

Liverpool - 67 

Bolton – 42 

Wigan – 40  

Where will the results be shared? 

We will be sharing this year's results with the relevant local wildlife record centres across our region: Lancashire Environmental Record Network, Greater Manchester Local Record Centre and Merseyside BioBank. 

The information from your sightings is really important, as it will help build an accurate picture of our region’s hedgehog population. The data gathered by these local record centres is then used to help inform conservation work, research, decision making, planning strategy and much more across our region, making sure that wildlife is taken into account and protected for the future. 

How can I help hedgehogs? 

If you’ve taken part in this year’s survey, you’ve already done something great for hedgehogs. Your sightings will provide our region’s wildlife record centres with valuable data that can be used to help protect local populations. 

Did you know? You can report sightings all year round to your local wildlife record centre, whether it be hedgehogs or other species! Find the details of your local centre on our wildlife recording page. 

There are so many small actions you can take at home to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly; whether it’s creating a feeding station; making a ‘hedgehog highway’ between gardens with your neighbours; or leaving a patch of grass to grow long, providing a safe hiding place and encouraging creatures that hedgehogs love to eat.

This year we launched our biggest ever appeal, Step up for Wildlife. Two of our main goals with this appeal are to bring back our lost wildlife and create Nature Recovery Networks. Making a kind donation to this appeal is another way you can make a real difference for vulnerable and threatened species like hedgehogs, helping us give them a chance at recovery.

If you’d like to learn more about what else you can do to help hedgehogs, we've gathered some handy resources below.