There are many reasons for their decline including habitat loss, increase in traffic on our roads and loss of suitable nesting sites. Here are five few simple things you can do to make your garden a hedgehog-friendly zone:

1. Hedgehogs can travel up to 2km in one night. Making holes in fences (13cm x 13cm) allows hedgehogs access to new areas for food and finding a mate.

2. You can help them by putting out cat or dog meat (no fish flavours), chopped peanuts or even mealworms for them to get stuck into. Never feed hedgehogs milk or bread as this can make them sick.

3. You can help a hedgehog find a home by leaving an area of your garden to grow wild; long grass, a log pile and compost heap will attract insects for them to eat and you will have the perfect hedgehog home sweet home!

4. As hedgehogs love long grass areas. Unfortunately, they tend to hide instead of run away from danger so please check for any that may be scampering about before mowing or strimming.

5. Ponds are great for hedgehogs to drink from and are a source of insect food. Make sure they can climb out of your pond if they fall in by adding some bricks and stones to make a hedgehog ladder.

If you see a hedgehog, share your sighting with us at ERCCIS (Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly).