Hedgehog numbers could be rising after years of decline

The biggest increase in sightings were in urban areas

Good news for our spiky little friends, as hedgehog sightings in our gardens are on the rise after years of trouble, according to a survey.

It found that 33% of people said they had seen the animal in their garden in 2023, that's up from 31% in 2022.

Hedgehog numbers are declining in the UK in the countryside and the species is now vulnerable to extinction, mainly due to the loss of its natural habitat.

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine is behind the survey, and its editor Kevin Smith said: "The recent surge in hedgehog sightings is a positive indication that we're making progress in coexisting with nature."

What did the survey find?

One in three people said they had seen a hedgehog in their garden in 2023

Almost 2,000 people were on the lookout for wildlife in their garden as they took part in the magazine's survey in 2023.

Of those taking part, it found that 21% either saw them for the first time or more often than the year before.

The biggest increase in sightings of hedgehogs was in urban areas.

Kevin Smith said efforts to educate people about wildlife-friendly gardening was helping to "turn our gardens into the havens that hedgehogs have long enjoyed".

What do hedgehog charities say?

Faye Vass, head of The British Hedgehog Preservation Society, said the survey is "really valuable in helping us understand more about hedgehogs.

"However... these figures are only a snapshot. Hedgehog populations change from year to year, and these findings might not necessarily represent the underlying trend".

Faye pointed out that the State of Britain's Hedgehogs 2022 report showed that urban hedgehog numbers were "just about stable and may even be beginning to recover in some areas... However, numbers in urban areas are still much lower than they should be".

She says community action - like making gardens havens for hedgehogs, or making your garden as hedgehog-friendly as possible - is incredibly important.

What can we do to help?

Almost 2,000 people were on the lookout for wildlife as part of the survey

Despite the positive news from the survey, hedgehog numbers in our gardens are nowhere near what they used to be.

Around 60 years ago, 36 million were snuffling around in UK gardens. Now there are thought to be closer to one million left.

But there is plenty you can do to make your garden hedgehog-friendly, with help from an adult.

Things like checking hedges before strimming, leaving a corner of the garden to grow wild and making a home for hedgehogs to hibernate can all help out.