Thanks everyone.

Yes, you're right, Alyssa, they do eat a lot of little critters. My dad hopes this little guy will stick around in the garden and eat the slugs that keep destroying his plants.

Courtney, I think they are declining for many reasons. A lot are, sadly, killed on the roads. Some are killed by rubbish - I rescued one a few years ago which was stuck in the plastic rings which hold beer cans together. I think also pesticides and slug killers harm hedgehogs when they eat the infected prey.

Their habitat has diminished greatly too over the years; the UK population is booming and we're cramming so many homes into such a small island! Thankfully, there is a lot of parkland next to my house where some hedgehogs can still thrive.