<div><p>Hedgehogs: they're tiny, round, adorable and prickly. They mind their own business and even eat the worms and slugs in your garden. What's not to like?</p><p>Unfortunately, if people don't take action soon these cute little spike balls could be gone for good. A new survey of almost 3,000 people in <em>Gardener's World Magazine </em>has found that less than half of people have seen a hedgehog in their garden in the past year. </p><p>To make things worse, one third said they hadn't seen one in a long time, and only an eighth of people surveyed see them regularly. </p><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/02/2243101130-3.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/02/2243101130-3_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>Most people don't realize hedgehogs are in danger, but their numbers have dropped by a shocking amount. Wildlife experts estimate there were as many as 36 million hedgehogs in the UK during the 1950s, but today there are less than a million. </p><p>Between having their habitat destroyed and the growing numbers of predators, serious action needs to be taken or else these tiny critters will be gone for good.</p><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/02/2243101130-3-1.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/02/2243101130-3-1_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/02/2243101130-3-1_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><p>The good news is in the same survey 60% of people say they want to help the shrinking hedgehog population.</p><p>To make your garden safer for them, leave loose twigs and leaves on the ground so they can take them to make shelters. Avoid using slug pellets whenever possible - they love to eat those slimy pests - and always check for them before building a fire or trimming your hedges. </p><h3>Share this post so people know hedgehogs are in danger!</h3></div>