Although hedgehogs live right among us, their situation is steadily worsening. On their nocturnal excursions, they cover an average distance of about one kilometre. However, they increasingly encounter obstacles: walls, dense fences, stairs, or lacking green corridors block their paths to food, shelter, and breeding places. Many animals' attempts to reach new habitats end on roads or paths – often with fatal consequences.
Small Openings with Big Impact
The Wild Neighbours Solothurn initiative is calling on local residents to make private gardens and greenery more hedgehog-friendly. 'Even passages measuring 15 by 15 centimetres are enough to allow hedgehogs and other small animals to safely move from garden to garden or into a park,' explains biologist Sandra Gloor. Such openings help avoid dangerous detours and create urgently needed connections within residential areas.
Anyone who sets up a passage can mark it and obtain a free hedgehog plaque from one of the sponsoring organisations behind Wild Neighbours Solothurn. The plaque draws attention to the topic of connectivity – and also prevents the opening from being unknowingly sealed again later.
Info Box:
Wild Neighbours Solothurn
For seven years, the sponsoring organisations Pro Natura So, WWF So, BirdLife So, the natural history museums in Olten and Solothurn, as well as the offices for spatial planning and forestry, hunting, and fishing, have worked to enhance habitats and collect observation data on wildlife and small structures. Thanks to public involvement, several thousand reports have been received, forming an essential foundation for the protection and promotion of endangered species.
Each year, Wild Neighbours Solothurn focuses on a specific theme. Currently, the hedgehog – Animal of the Year 2026 – is in the spotlight. Newly created passages are meant to help it roam the neighbourhood safely.
Wild Neighbours Solothurn
c/o Naturmuseum Solothurn
Klosterplatz 2
4500 Solothurn
032 622 70 21
naturmuseum@solothurn.ch
www.naturmuseum-so.ch
Contact Person:
thomas.briner@solothurn.ch