Our prickly friends have faced dramatic declines over the years resulting in them being officially classed as vulnerable to extinction in the UK and added to the Red List of Britain’s mammals in 2020.
Nationally, their loss has been hardest felt in rural areas and sadly, the findings of the latest State of Hedgehogs report by the People's Trust for Endangered Species and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society suggest that these declines have only continued further.
In contrast, our urban areas could provide a beacon of hope for our hogs. with the findings of the 2022 State of Hedgehogs report suggesting that populations in these areas might be recovering.
Now in its fourth year, our annual hedgehog survey provides a valuable insight into how populations are doing locally and how this compares with the national trends, we were delighted to receive so many responses this year.
The results
The map below provides an overview of the results of this year's hedgehog survey; showing hedgehog sightings in our region from 2022.