Forget zebras and pelicans – now it’s hedgehog crossings! The tiny prickly mammals get their own road signs and spots to cross busy streets in effort to slow declining numbers of the creatures in the UK

Hedgehogs are set to get their own road signs and places to cross busy streets in the latest attempt to stem declining numbers of the tiny mammals. 

The once a familiar sight of the spikey animals meandering down country lanes at dusk, or snuffling through gardens in search of food, has now become a rarity as they are considered at risk of extinction in the UK.

Tragically around 150,000 hedgehogs are believed to be killed every year in road accidents – which is why numbers have plummeted from about 36million in the 1960s to just 1million today. 

In a desperate attempt to halt the decimation of the species, councils have begun installing hedgehog signs, which were approved by the Department for Transport in December last year. 

Mike Massimi, who sits on Kingston council in south-west London, forked out £500 of his own money to install four of these signs in his area, in the hopes of raising awareness in the community. 

Speaking to the Telegraph he said: ‘This area has a lot of large gardens and big green spaces… it is very rich in biodiversity. We have a lot of hedgehogs.

‘The signs are something that people can relate to. We all drive, we all walk by. I was very pleased when the senior officer said yes. Slow down and people will start asking questions, some of them will look online. It’s about care and a way to raise awareness.’

The new sign features a black silhouette of a hedgehog inside a red triangle above a message that says ‘hedgehogs crossing’.

It is believed that after motorcars, which are causing the biggest decline of the population, badgers are the second biggest threat to the species. 

Tom Moorhouse told the MailOnline: ‘Suspect number two is the badger. Badgers not only eat the same kinds of beetles, worms and caterpillars as hedgehogs do, depleting their food supply, they also eat hedgehogs.’

While the third biggest threat to hedgehogs is agriculture, and the steep increase in ‘field sizes’.

Moorhouse continued: ‘As the name suggests, the hedgehog is very partial to hedges, which are safe spots for nesting and hibernation, as well as being a good place to find food. In 1940, when hedgehogs were still a common sight, there were about a million kilometres of hedgerows in Britain.

‘Within 40 years, 60 per cent had been removed as part of a huge drive to increase field sizes, while the use of pesticides soared. The result was disastrous for birds, as well as hedgehogs.’

However there are things gardeners can try and do to protect hedgehogs in their own gardens.

Put food down for them (meat-based cat and dog food does nicely); supplementary food results in bigger litters and increases their survival prospects. 

You can also pick up your postman’s discarded rubber bands, as hedgehogs eat them, thinking they’re worms, and avoid using chemicals. 

Above all, we should stop being so tidy. A messy garden, with log piles and long grass to attract insects, plus water, is just what wildlife needs.