The reasons aren’t clear but more intensive agriculture – with larger fields and the loss hedgerows and permanent grassland – is likely to have played a role. The use of pesticides too will reduce the amount of prey available. Badgers are a natural predator of hedgehogs and hedgehogs actively avoid sites where badgers are present. When the habitat provides sufficient cover and good foraging opportunities, predation by badgers is not necessarily a problem for hedgehogs, but in poor habitats, it might have a big impact.