![\"Wooden](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0_Wooden-Fence.jpg\")
<\/p>\nYour fences can help an adorable endangered animal as it wakes up from hibernation.<\/p>\n
Angela Patrone Senior Lifestyle Reporter<\/p>\n
04:03, 11 Mar 2026<\/p>\n
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UK households urged to drill holes in their fences this month(Image: Philippe Gerber via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Wildlife experts are calling on gardeners<\/a> to create small openings at the base of their fences ahead of spring to support a beloved yet vulnerable British creature. As hedgehogs emerge from hibernation during this period, they could benefit significantly from our help.<\/p>\n So, if you’re keen to make your outdoor space more hedgehog-friendly, it’s worth inspecting your boundary fencing<\/a>. Whilst creating apertures in your fence might not top your list of garden maintenance jobs<\/a>, wildlife specialists emphasise the substantial benefits for hedgehogs.<\/p>\n Known as a hedgehog highway, these passages offer safe corridors for hedgehogs to reach food sources and refuge whilst avoiding hazards. Here’s everything you should know.<\/p>\n Gardeners are being urged to make holes in fences to help hedgehogs(Image: imageBROKER\/Kevin Sawford via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Hedgehog highways are networks of gaps and openings running through hedges and fencing, creating protected routes for hedgehogs to navigate.<\/p>\n Given that hedgehogs risk injury on roads, these highways offer them a safe means of travelling without peril.<\/p>\n Anton Baskerville, wildlife expert at Woodlands.co.uk<\/a>, said: “Hedgehogs like to roam large distances to find food, mates, and nesting sites.<\/p>\n “In urban environments, fences, walls, and other barriers can limit their movement, making it harder for them to meet these basic needs.<\/p>\n “A hedgehog highway enables them to safely travel between gardens and other habitats, greatly improving their chances of survival and reproduction.”<\/p>\n Ensure our latest lifestyle and travel headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate<\/a> or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.<\/p>\n Hedgehogs in the UK are facing a significant threat of extinction. Their numbers have seen a sharp decline, especially in rural areas, due to habitat destruction, road accidents, and dwindling food sources.<\/p>\n The beauty of creating a hedgehog highway is that it doesn’t require removing a substantial part of your hedge or fence.<\/p>\n![\"European](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1_European-hedgehog-Erinaceus-europaeus-adult-animal-walking-through-a-hole-in-a-garden-fence-with-a.jpeg\")
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