Hi Johnboy7
Badgers are hedgehogs main natural predator and they will eat hedgehogs. Perhaps in the area you were watching the badgers, hedgehogs were not resident. But, badgers do also compete with hedgehogs for food.
Of course, if there was sufficient suitable habitat the two species (hedgehogs and badgers) would likely reach their own natural balance (even if that did involve some hedgehogs probably being eaten by badgers in the process). However, the situation which we have, as things stand, is that there is not sufficient suitable habitat for that to happen. Whether we like it or not humans always come into the equation so that whilst “Prey or Predator will balance themselves out without interference from Man” may be true. Man does interfere, whether intentionally or not.
The various threats to hedgehogs is a complex topic and someone could probably write a whole book about it. But there is no point putting hedgehogs in danger’s way by feeding them where there are badgers regularly in the area.
Some foxes will also kill hedgehogs. Not so sure buzzards, etc. would be so much of a problem as they are normally around during the day and hedgehogs at night. But they might feed on dead hedgehogs which they come across in the same way that they are likely to feed on dead rabbits.
But yes, I agree that humans are the biggest threat to hedgehogs in various ways. Their biggest threat, but also their best chance of salvation.
