David Attenborough shares one simple trick to help protect ‘vulnerable’ hedgehogs in city gardens

Sir David Attenborough has revealed one simple but genius way Londoners are protecting hedgehogs, helping boost populations in urban areas.

Hedgehogs are in decline across the UK and are listed as “Vulnerable” on Britain’s red list of mammals. Their demise is often linked to habitat loss, road casualties, injuries and a lack of food.

However, numbers in cities are starting to stabilise, and efforts to give the little creatures an extra boost are gaining momentum.

David Attenborough’s simple tip for protecting hedgehogs

According to the Wildlife Trust, up to 335,000 hedgehogs are estimated to die on British roads every year – with roadkill incidents often peaking in the summer months.

But hedgehogs need up to 100 grams of food every day, especially if they are searching for a mate.

This means they are often forced to travel 2km each night – often braving dangerous roads in search of insects or pet food.

City gardens are often a great source of food for them, especially as more and more Brits lay out cat or dog food as a midnight snack.

London is a particularly good spot, as it has more gardens per square mile than any other capital city. But far too often there is no way between them.

In his BBC documentary Wild London, Attenborough shows how one hedgehog is able to cross into another back garden using a ‘hedgehog highway’.

“All across London, garden owners are putting holes in their fences creating hedgehog highways that allow safe travel from garden to garden,” the veteran broadcaster said.

How to build a hedgehog highway

The Wildlife Trusts recommends speaking to your neighbour before creating your own hedgehog highway. Once you have permission, you’ll need a ruler, pencil, coping saw and sandpaper.

Then, simply measure and mark a 13cm X 13 cm hole at the bottom of one of your fence panels and cut it out using the coping saw.

If there are any rough edges, use sandpaper to smooth them down.

To record your hedgehog hole, go to the national network at Hedgehog Street. Hedgehog Street aims to encourage people to link their gardens and make hedgehog highways that are “rich in insects and free from hazards”.