Despite all efforts, hedgehogs in Saxony are still endangered and their population has been declining for years, according to observations by authorities and conservationists. The trend cannot be quantified. "There is no "census" of hedgehogs and there have been no targeted surveys in recent times," says a spokeswoman for the State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG). Hedgehogs are widespread "from the lowlands to the high altitudes of the Ore Mountains", but a population density of 0.5 animals per hectare as at the end of the 1980s "has become rather rare".
According to the LfULG, hedgehogs mostly prefer gardens, hedges, bushes and green spaces in residential areas. These areas are becoming increasingly dangerous for them due to traffic, environmental toxins and predators such as badgers, foxes, raccoons and eagle owls - and less food such as earthworms or snails. The situation has deteriorated further due to the years of drought. In addition, soil sealing or the use of insecticides or slug pellets have decimated the small-structured, near-natural areas that offer refuges.
