News · 19 May 2026
UK hedgehogs down 75%: AI now maps their survival
Photo by Nikola Tomašić on Pexels
Better tracking could help protect hedgehogs as numbers keep falling across Britain and Europe. Researchers at Cambridge University are using satellite images and an AI system called Tessera to identify habitats, monitor environmental change and study obstacles stopping hedgehogs moving safely across the countryside. A 2022 report estimated rural hedgehog populations in the UK have dropped by up to 75% since 2000.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs