I think this also highlights how vulnerable some populations of hedgehogs are. The average lifespan is around 3-5 years, so unless you have good recruitment and a mix of animals of different ages then one or two animals can make a difference to local numbers.
A lot of people are “sharing” hogs. We are fortunate, at present, we get good numbers but we know they of course also visit neighbours gardens and like cats sometimes they find someone else they prefer to live with !! We are close to open countryside and I would like to think that the increasing numbers in local gardens will also find their way back to the hedgerows as well.
Colin.
