Up to three quarters of the rural population has been lost.

The RSPCA is appealing to gardeners to do more to help hedgehogs as the species continues to struggle, with starvation now a major threat to their survival owing to a decline in the insects they eat.

The charity will highlight the issue with a hedgehog-friendly garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which will include three hedgehog houses, a dead hedge habitat, and beds of pollinator-friendly plants. It is hoped the garden will inspire people to encourage wildlife into their gardens and protect them from harm.

Other tips for helping hedgehogs have been shared by the charity, including prioritising real lawns over artificial grass or gravel, creating bug hotels to boost the insect population, and providing a ramp in and out of ponds. Tinned dog or cat food can be left outside for hedgehogs overnight, but milk can cause diarrhoea and bread is not nutritious enough.

Highlighting the plight of the species, the RSPCA revealed that it has taken more than 10,000 hedgehogs into care in the past five years. A 2022 study by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the People’s Trust for Endangered Species found that the rural hedgehog population in British has declined by up to 75 per cent in the past twenty years.

Evie Button, scientific officer at the RSPCA said: “It’s really sad to think that our beloved night time garden visitors are at risk of starving in our own backyards. With busier roads, increased building sites and loss of hedgerows all impacting a hedgehog’s natural environment and their ability to find food, it’s essential we all do what we can not only to protect hedgehogs, but also to help them thrive.”

Martyn Wilson, who has designed the RSPCA garden, added: “Hedgehogs are a gardener's friend as they eat beetles, caterpillars, worms and other invertebrates, so as gardeners we need to be doing all we can to protect them from dangers such as harmful pesticides that wipe out their food sources.

“We all have a responsibility to help wildlife, and we can also make it easier for hedgehogs to thrive and find food and water. It’s simpler than you might think and the good news is hedgehogs can be welcomed into the garden without compromising on style. The RSPCA Garden demonstrates plenty of ways people can take simple but effective steps in their own gardens.”

Images (C) RSPCA