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Found a hedgehog? Mon–Fri 10:00–12:00 / 13:00–16:00 · 056 552 16 02
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Hedgehog help in Liechtenstein

Have you found an injured, sick or orphaned hedgehog in Vaduz, Schaan, Balzers, Eschen or another municipality in Liechtenstein? Stay calm, secure the animal carefully and contact a care station or veterinary practice by phone as soon as possible.

Liechtenstein is not a Swiss canton. But hedgehogs know no national borders, and many questions about hedgehogs in distress arise in the Liechtenstein Rhine Valley just as they do in Switzerland. The first point of contact in the country is the Tierschutzverein Liechtenstein in Schaan. Please never bring a hedgehog without notice.

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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.

Points of contact for hedgehogs in Liechtenstein

Admission capacities and availability may change at short notice. Please announce every hedgehog by phone before bringing it to a care station. For calls from Liechtenstein to Switzerland, dial the prefix +41.

  • Tierschutzverein Liechtenstein – Tierschutzhaus Schaan

    According to the Tierschutzverein Liechtenstein, its tasks include taking in and caring for wild animals such as hedgehogs and birds. The animal shelter in Schaan is run by trained specialist staff.

    Important: Announce the hedgehog by phone before dropping it off. According to the association, it can also be reached outside telephone hours in urgent cases and emergencies.

  • Walter Zoo hedgehog care station, Gossau SG

    The hedgehog care station at Walter Zoo in Gossau is one of the larger hedgehog stations in eastern Switzerland. It takes in injured hedgehogs after prior registration by phone and cares for them until they can be released back into the wild.

    Before travelling to Switzerland, please check by phone whether a hedgehog from Liechtenstein can be admitted.

If the hedgehog station cannot be reached:

  • Hedgehog Help Switzerland+41 56 552 16 02Monday to Friday, 10:00–12:00 and 13:00–16:00igelstation@igel-hilfe.ch
  • Landespolizei117For a seriously injured wild animal on a road, after a collision or in the event of an acute traffic hazard

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: October 2026

This page brings together information and points of contact for hedgehog protection in Liechtenstein. It is not an additional hedgehog station, nor is it an authority.

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

Responsible offices in Liechtenstein

In Liechtenstein, the Amt für Lebensmittelkontrolle und Veterinärwesen is responsible for animal welfare. Questions about nature, hunting and protected wild animals are answered by the Amt für Wald, Natur und Landwirtschaft.

  • Amt für Lebensmittelkontrolle und Veterinärwesen

    Veterinary affairs include animal health and animal welfare, among other things. The office is the right place for questions relating to animal welfare law and for reporting problematic animal husbandry.

    • Amt für Lebensmittelkontrolle und Veterinärwesen (ALKVW)
    • Postplatz 2, 9494 Schaan (postal address: Postfach 684, 9490 Vaduz)
    • +423 236 73 11
    • Monday to Friday: 8:00–11:30 and 13:30–17:00
    • info.alkvw@llv.li
    • llv.li

  • Amt für Wald, Natur und Landwirtschaft

    Since 1 August 2026, the Amt für Wald, Natur und Landwirtschaft has been responsible for forests, hunting and nature. It took over these tasks from the former Amt für Umwelt and is also responsible for exemptions under the Ordinance on the Protection of the Hedgehog.

    • Amt für Wald, Natur und Landwirtschaft (AWNL)
    • Landstrasse 190, 9495 Triesen (postal address: Postfach 684, 9490 Vaduz)
    • +423 236 63 00
    • Monday to Friday: 8:00–11:30 and 13:30–16:30
    • info.awnl@llv.li
    • llv.li

Liechtenstein as a habitat for hedgehogs

In Liechtenstein, hedgehogs live mainly in the Rhine Valley: in the settlements of Vaduz, Schaan, Triesen, Balzers, Eschen, Mauren and Ruggell, in gardens, orchards and vineyards, as well as on forest edges and in structurally diverse transitions between settlements and farmland.

At the same time, the residential area in the valley is growing. Roads, walls, dense fences and completely tidied gardens cut habitats off from one another. Hedgehogs cover long distances when foraging at night and must be able to cross several gardens and green spaces.

Suitable habitats are provided by:

  • natural gardens and green spaces
  • native hedges and shrubs
  • orchards and vineyards with hedgehog-safe netting
  • leaf piles, brush piles and deadwood piles
  • permeable property boundaries
  • sheltered, dry spots for day nests and hibernation
Vineyard in Vaduz with a house and trees, with the mountains of the Rhine Valley behind
A hedgehog in the grass

How many hedgehogs live in Liechtenstein?

It is not known how many hedgehogs live in Liechtenstein. There is no national population count from which a reliable figure could be derived. Individual sightings or admitted animals must not be equated with the total population.

The hedgehog is a protected species in Liechtenstein. It is listed in Annex 1 of the Ordinance on Specifically Protected Plant and Animal Species. In Switzerland, the hedgehog has been classified as near threatened since 2022.

A hedgehog being weighed in a bowl at the hedgehog station

Hedgehog protection is enshrined in law in Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein has had its own Ordinance on the Protection of the Hedgehog since 1992. It is aimed primarily at vineyards, fruit orchards and berry gardens, where netting protects the fruit from birds. Such nets can quickly become a deadly trap for hedgehogs.

  • Reusable nets may have a maximum mesh size of 30 × 30 mm.
  • Excess netting must not lie loose on the ground. It must be rolled up and secured, with a 15 cm high passage for hedgehogs every 5 to 10 metres.
  • Wire mesh does not count as hedgehog protection. If it is used as side protection, a passage 15 cm high and wide is required every 5 to 10 metres.
  • Exemptions for finer single-use nets are granted by the Amt für Wald, Natur und Landwirtschaft only under strict conditions.

Compliance is monitored by the municipal police authorities. Forestry, hunting, fishing and field protection officers as well as designated representatives of the animal welfare association are also required to keep an eye on it.

Naturally designed area with deadwood, stones and shrubs

Protecting habitats together in Liechtenstein

Hedgehog protection works across property and municipal boundaries. A single natural garden is valuable. Even more helpful is a whole neighbourhood with permeable fences, native plants, safe water points and interconnected green spaces.

Private individuals, municipalities, schools, businesses as well as farms, fruit growers and wine growers can help preserve safe routes and places of refuge.

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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.

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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

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Help make Liechtenstein a safer and better place for hedgehogs to live! Become part of our hedgehog community and contribute to the protection of these fascinating animals.

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