Skip to content
Found a hedgehog? Mon–Fri 10:00–12:00 / 13:00–16:00 · 056 552 16 02
Donate now

Hedgehog help in Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden and Nidwalden

Have you found an injured, sick or unusual hedgehog in the Canton of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden or Nidwalden? Here you can find out when a hedgehog needs help, which regional contact points you can contact and how to protect its habitat.

The four cantons form the core of Central Switzerland and share a joint veterinary service. However, there are different cantonal services for taking in and caring for hedgehogs in need of help. Please therefore always contact a station or advice centre by telephone first.

Donate Order information material
A hedgehog in tall grass

Found a hedgehog – what should you do now?

Not every hedgehog needs human help. A healthy hedgehog is mainly active at dusk and at night. If you see a hedgehog during the day, this does not automatically mean that it is sick.

Action is needed in particular if the hedgehog:

  • is injured or bleeding
  • seems apathetic or does not roll up
  • staggers, walks in circles, wheezes or breathes heavily
  • is infested with flies, fly eggs or maggots
  • is noticeably thin or weak
  • lies unprotected in the sun for a long time
  • is a young hedgehog found obviously without its mother

  1. If possible, contact a hedgehog station before transporting the animal. The station can assess whether the hedgehog needs to be taken in and whether a care place is currently available.

    Hedgehog stations

  2. Until the handover, wearing gloves, you can place the hedgehog in a sufficiently high cardboard box. Line it with newspaper and a towel and put the box in a quiet place. Offer fresh water in a shallow dish. Never give the hedgehog cow’s milk and do not treat it yourself with medication or anti-parasite products.

Regional hedgehog stations and contact points

Admission capacities can change at short notice. Therefore never bring a hedgehog to a station without prior notice, and do not leave a box in front of a closed facility.

  • Canton of Uri: Igelstation Schattdorf

    The Tierschutzverein Uri runs its own rescue station for hedgehogs in need of help in Schattdorf.

    Hedgehog station of the Tierschutzverein Uri

    The station has no regular visiting hours. The handover of a hedgehog must be arranged by telephone in advance. The current contact details are published by the Tierschutzverein Uri.

    Tierschutzverein Uri reporting line

    If the hedgehog station cannot be reached, the following contacts are available:

    • 077 414 50 77
    • Monday to Friday, 09:00–12:00 and 13:00–17:00

    Kantonspolizei Uri

    The police should be contacted in particular for injured wild animals outside regular hours or after a road accident.

  • Canton of Schwyz: Natur- und Tierpark Goldau

    For the Canton of Schwyz, the cantonal wildlife information names the Natur- und Tierpark Goldau as the point of contact for injured and sick wild animals. Admission is only possible after prior registration.

    Natur- und Tierpark Goldau

    ParkVets Goldau

    For injured or sick hedgehogs, the canton also refers people to the ParkVets veterinary practice:

    The responsible body assesses whether the hedgehog should receive medical treatment, be returned to where it was found or be handed over to an authorised hedgehog care station. Up-to-date information is available on the website of the Canton of Schwyz.

    Kantonspolizei Schwyz

    In an acute wildlife emergency or a road accident:

  • Further point of contact for finds from the Canton of Schwyz

    The canton lists the Igel-Hilfe Glarnerland as an additional authorised care station for hedgehogs from the territory of Schwyz.

    Igel-Hilfe Glarnerland

    The station is located outside the Canton of Schwyz. Admission must therefore be confirmed by phone before you set off.

  • Canton of Obwalden

    There is currently no independent, publicly documented hedgehog station with permanently confirmed admission times in the Canton of Obwalden.

    If you find a hedgehog in need of help, please first contact a supra-regional hedgehog emergency advice service. They can assess the animal’s condition and refer you to a care station within reach.

    Kantonspolizei Obwalden

    In an acute wildlife emergency or a road accident:

    Do not take a weakened or injured hedgehog to another canton without prior arrangement. Long journeys can put additional strain on the animal, and admission is not guaranteed if no care place is available.

  • Canton of Nidwalden

    There is also currently no independent hedgehog station with publicly confirmed regular admission times documented for Nidwalden. The Tierschutzverein Nidwalden refers enquiries about hedgehogs to external specialist services and hedgehog advice services.

    Tierschutzverein Nidwalden

    Wildlife emergency Nidwalden

    The wildlife emergency number is that of the Kantonspolizei Nidwalden. It should be used in particular for seriously injured wild animals, acute danger and road accidents.

If the hedgehog station cannot be reached:

Emergency numbers that charge a fee may incur higher call charges. For a seriously injured hedgehog, you can also contact a veterinary practice or animal clinic. Before setting off, call to ask whether they treat hedgehogs or wild animals.

Note on this regional information page · As of: August 2026

This page brings together information and points of contact for hedgehog protection in the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden and Nidwalden. It is not an independent regional branch, nor is it a cantonal authority.

The hedgehog stations, animal welfare associations and care stations listed are independent organisations. Responsibilities, availability and admission capacities may change at short notice. Please therefore always contact them by phone first.

Cantonal contact points

  • Veterinary service for the four original cantons

    Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden and Nidwalden share a joint veterinary service. It is responsible for enforcing animal welfare and animal health legislation.

    The veterinary service is the right official point of contact in particular for questions relating to animal welfare law, for uncertainties about authorised care stations or for general questions on dealing with wild animals.

    However, the veterinary service is not a hedgehog station and does not normally take on the direct care of individual found animals. If you find a sick or injured hedgehog, you should therefore first contact a hedgehog station or a hedgehog emergency advice service.

Habitat between valley floor and Prealps

Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden and Nidwalden are characterised by lakes, valley plains, steep slopes, farmland, villages and Prealpine areas.

Hedgehogs live mainly in lower-lying, milder and structurally diverse areas. Particularly suitable are green residential neighbourhoods, gardens, parks, cemeteries, orchards, hedges and the transitions between settlements and farmland.

Suitable habitats can be found, for example, in and around Altdorf, Schattdorf, Erstfeld, Schwyz, Goldau, Brunnen, Einsiedeln, Küssnacht, Sarnen, Kerns, Stans and Hergiswil.

Hedgehogs are much rarer at higher, steeper and cooler altitudes. Lakes, rock faces, busy roads, railway lines, retaining walls and enclosed properties can also cut their habitats off from one another.

The increasing densification of valley and residential areas is particularly problematic. When green spaces are sealed and properties are enclosed with impenetrable walls or fences, hedgehogs lose their nightly routes between sleeping places and feeding grounds.

View over Brunnen and Lake Uri with valley floor, settlement and Prealps
A hedgehog on a log

How many hedgehogs live in Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden and Nidwalden?

There are currently no scientifically verified total figures for the four cantons. Hedgehogs are nocturnal, move across several properties and are not counted comprehensively.

Nor does the number of hedgehogs admitted to care stations allow a reliable extrapolation. A high number of animals brought in may equally point to increasing dangers, unfavourable weather conditions or a greater willingness among the public to report them.

According to its annual report, for example, the hedgehog station of the Tierschutzverein Uri cared for a total of 33 hedgehogs in 2023. However, this figure only describes the animals admitted and not the entire hedgehog population of the canton.

The European hedgehog is classified as “near threatened” on the Swiss Red List. Pro Natura chose it as Animal of the Year 2026 to draw attention to the loss of suitable habitats.

Brush pile and young shrubs as shelter for hedgehogs

Protecting habitats together

Hedgehog protection works across property and cantonal boundaries. A single natural garden is valuable. Even more helpful is an entire neighbourhood with permeable fences, native plants and interconnected green spaces.

Private individuals, municipalities, schools, businesses as well as farms and horticultural businesses can help preserve safe routes and places of refuge for hedgehogs.

Especially in the densely populated valley areas, it is important that new developments and redesigns take into account not only individual green spaces but also their connection to neighbouring habitats.

Order information material

We are also available by phone and are happy to help you with advice and practical support.

Whether you are looking for our hedgehog magazine full of helpful tips, information about hedgehog talks or materials for school projects – we provide everything free of charge to promote the welfare of hedgehogs.

Call Order information material

Expert knowledge on the care and treatment of hedgehogs

Free hedgehog courses for veterinary practice assistants throughout Switzerland

Hedgehog Help Switzerland offers free hedgehog courses for veterinary practice assistants throughout Switzerland. These courses are specially tailored to veterinary practice assistants who want to familiarise themselves with the particularities of hedgehog care and acquire professional knowledge of the medical treatment and care of hedgehogs. In veterinary practices, hedgehogs need special attention and expert care that differs from other wild animals – and this is exactly where our hedgehog courses for veterinary practice assistants come in.

In our courses you will learn everything about caring for and treating hedgehogs in a way that suits the species. We cover important topics such as correct feeding, stress management during treatment and recognising typical hedgehog diseases. Our hedgehog courses are offered both at our hedgehog station and directly at your veterinary practice – we work throughout Switzerland and adapt to your location and your schedule.

Registration form for hedgehog courses

Fields marked * are required.

Order information material

Help make Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden and Nidwalden safer and better places for hedgehogs to live! Become part of our hedgehog community and contribute to the protection of these fascinating animals.

Order

Fields marked * are required.

Buy something beautiful, do something good.

Clothes from Rico are regional, organic and vegan. 100 % of the proceeds go directly to Hedgehog Help Switzerland – with every purchase you help hedgehogs.

To the Rico shop