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.

1,850 individual hedgehogs were recorded this year, 49 more than in 2021, however, this year, only 383 people reported seeing more than one hedgehog at once, a drop of 72% from last year's results.

Of the 1,201 people who completed our survey, 1,113 of you reported seeing at least one hedgehog this year. However, three respondents reported that they had never seen a hedgehog in their life and many of you told us that you hadn't seen a hedgehog in a very long time or couldn't remember when the last time you saw a hedgehog was.

Of the hedgehogs recorded, 1770 were reported as being alive, 30 as being dead (causes unspecified), and 50 were reported as being roadkill specifically. This mirrors the findings of our previous surveys, where the majority of hedgehog sightings were of live hedgehogs, the second most frequently reported sightings were roadkill, and the least frequently reported sightings were dead. 

The majority of hedgehogs recorded, 933, were spotted foraging, drinking, or at feeding stations, and we were delighted to see that so many of you leave a regular source of food and fresh water out for hedgehogs, showing the impact our individual actions can have for local wildlife.

Unfortunately, 33 hedgehogs were spotted out during the day or were clearly sick, thankfully in these instances, they were taken to their local hedgehog rescue centre and a few respondents even told us that they help to re-home or rehabilitate struggling hedgehogs which is wonderful to hear. If you do spot a hedgehog out during the day, please contact a hedgehog rescue for help and advice in the first instance.

68 hedgehogs were spotted in the road or crossing the road and 17 of these individuals were sadly dead highlighting the challenges these creatures face when they cannot safely move around an area and demonstrating the need for Nature Recovery Networks.

Where are hedgehogs doing well in our region?

Much like the findings of our 2021 hedgehog survey and following the national trends, the majority of sightings were reported from urban and suburban areas with people's gardens and yards being the most common area where hedgehogs were sighted.

The top five areas where hedgehogs were spotted in our region were as follows:

• Preston - 485 
• Liverpool - 204
• Manchester - 158
• Salford - 138
• Bolton - 125

Ways you can help hedgehogs

By filling in our 2022 hedgehog survey you have already given us valuable data that can be used to help hedgehogs in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and North Merseyside. We’ll pass these records to our three local wildlife record centres:

• Lancashire Environment Record Network (LERN)
• Greater Manchester Local Record Centre (GMLRC)
• Merseyside BioBank

The record centre will add this to their existing bank of data so they can build a more accurate picture of how hedgehogs are doing in our region. Each record centre gathers data throughout the year, so do keep sending your hedgehog sightings directly to them.

Regardless of whether you already have a hedgehog-friendly garden or are wanting to make your outdoor space more hedgehog-friendly, there are lots of ways you can help hedgehogs at home. Download our handy guide to see how you can give hedgehogs a helping hand.