Hedgehogs were first introduced to New Zealand by acclimatisation societies to remind settlers of home. Later, more were released to control garden pests like slugs, snails, and grass grubs. Today, they are widespread and pose a serious threat to many native species.
Their preferred habitat is lowland pasture, but recent research shows they are also common in large forest areas. Once thought to avoid higher elevations, hedgehogs have now been found up to 1800 metres above the bush line.
They are major predators of riverbed-nesting birds like banded dotterels and black-fronted terns, eating both eggs and chicks. Hedgehogs have a huge appetite for invertebrates and consume many local endemic species. They eat rare insects like giant native centipedes and wētā, as well as native snails such as Wainuia urnula. Lowland populations of Powelliphanta snails may also be heavily impacted. They also prey on lizards and skinks.
Hedgehogs are frequently caught in ground-set traps across Central Otago, braided rivers in South Canterbury and North Island forests.
Avoid encouraging them into your yard—don’t leave out milk or create burrows. Instead, set a trap suited to your setting (urban or rural). Hedgehog prints show five toes and look like large rat tracks. Their forefeet are wider and shorter than the hind feet, leaving two distinct types of prints from one animal.
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