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Protecting hedgehogs means
protecting the landscape

The hedgehog is one of the best-known wild animals in Switzerland and is often found in our immediate neighbourhood – in gardens, for example, in parks and green spaces. The animals can only survive if these are designed to be hedgehog-friendly. That is why protecting hedgehogs is inseparable from protecting their habitat, which is coming under increasing pressure. As a result, the hedgehog population has also declined significantly in recent decades. According to studies, the decline in some regions is 40 per cent. The main causes include:

  • Loss and fragmentation of natural habitats
  • Intensive use of gardens and green spaces
  • Traffic and roads
  • Lack of food
A hedgehog among branches and stones

On this website, the Hedgehog Help Switzerland association provides information about the hedgehog, its habitat and ways to protect this species. We want to make knowledge accessible and help people make their surroundings hedgehog-friendly.

A hedgehog peeking out from between stones

Facts about the hedgehog

The European hedgehog (western European or brown-breasted hedgehog) is widespread in Switzerland. This useful wild animal prefers structurally rich landscapes with hedges, shrubs, meadows and gardens and makes an important contribution to an intact ecosystem. Hedgehogs feed on insects, beetles, larvae and other invertebrates, thereby helping to regulate many insect populations naturally. They reach a body length of about 20 to 30 centimetres and weigh 800 to 1500 grams, depending on the season and the food available.

Hedgehogs are particularly common:

  • In near-natural gardens
  • In parks and green spaces
  • At the edges of woodland
  • In hedgerow landscapes
  • Near settlements
A brush pile as a hiding place for hedgehogs

How hedgehogs live

Hedgehogs are nocturnal loners that search for food on the ground. During the day they hide in leaf piles, in hedges or in other sheltered places. From around November to March they hibernate in a well-insulated nest made of leaves and plant material.

  • Young shrub as part of a hedge
  • Tree trunk and deadwood with low-growing plants
  • Stone structure with a native plant
  • Brush pile and shrubs at the edge of a green space

The greatest dangers

Living conditions for hedgehogs have changed dramatically in recent decades. Hedges and near-natural structures are increasingly disappearing. Many dangers arise directly or indirectly from human activity. Particularly dangerous for hedgehogs are:

  • Road traffic
  • Lawnmowers and garden tools
  • Robotic lawnmowers at night
  • Pesticides
Illustration: a hedgehog surrounded by a car, a lawnmower, a robotic lawnmower at night and a pesticide spray bottle
Near-natural biodiversity area with deadwood and young shrubs Newly created biodiversity area with deadwood and shrubs next to a commercial building Flowering rowan between gravel and stones Stone structure with a young tree as shelter for small animals Logs and gravel as a near-natural habitat

What do hedgehog-friendly gardens and biodiversity areas look like?

Many hedgehogs now live in built-up areas. Near-natural gardens and near-natural biodiversity areas on company premises, public green spaces or club grounds therefore contribute a great deal to protecting hedgehogs. They also benefit many other species such as insects, birds and amphibians. Here are a few elements of hedgehog-friendly surroundings:

  • Native shrubs and hedges
  • Leaf and wood structures
  • Wildflower areas
  • Deadwood and leaf piles
  • Near-natural meadows
  • Gaps in fences
  • No pesticides

Would you like to learn more about the hedgehog? Read our brochure.
You can find it here.

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