Hedgehogs find refuge in Irish gardens where patches of growth are long enough for them to hideMarch and early April in Ireland is when hedgehogs stir from hibernation. “They’re probably in decline here, because they’ve declined everywhere else,” says Elaine O’Riordan, whose PhD research at University of Galway investigates Irish hedgehogs. The same may be true in Ireland, but we don’t have numbers now or historic numbers for comparison. “The battle to save hedgehogs is going to take place in our own backyards, in gardens, because that is where they live nowadays,” she says. In Denmark, hedgehogs living in residential areas routinely visit 10 to 14 gardens, often following a similar route each night.

Source: The Irish Times April 02, 2026 05:06 UTC