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 the canton of Zurich

Have you found an injured, sick or unusual-looking hedgehog in the canton of Zurich? Here you can find out when a hedgehog needs help, which hedgehog station you can contact and how you can protect its habitat.

The canton of Zurich has several specialised hedgehog stations and advice centres. These include the Igelzentrum Zürich as well as regional care stations in Hittnau, Hinwil, Kollbrunn and Hedingen.

As most stations are run privately or by volunteers, their care places are limited. Therefore, never take a hedgehog to a station without notice. Call first and find out which station is responsible and currently has a free care place.

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.

Hedgehog stations and points of contact in the canton of Zurich

Admission capacities and availability can change at short notice. Please register every hedgehog by phone or via the contact form provided before bringing it to a station.

  • Igelzentrum Zürich

    The Igelzentrum Zürich is a specialised advice, treatment and care centre for sick and injured hedgehogs. In addition to caring for found animals, the centre is involved in environmental education and provides information on protecting near-natural habitats.

    • Igelzentrum Zürich
    • Hagenholzstrasse 108b, 8050 Zürich
    • 044 362 02 03
    • Telephone consultation hours:
      Monday to Friday: 16:00–18:00
      Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: no regular telephone consultation
    • info@igelzentrum.ch

    Hedgehog patients may only be brought in after prior registration. According to the Igelzentrum, enquiries about hedgehog emergencies sent by e-mail are answered as promptly as possible, even outside telephone consultation hours. Please include your phone number, your place of residence, the hedgehog’s condition and the exact location where it was found.

    Further information is available from the Igelzentrum Zürich.

  • Igelpflegestation Hittnau

    The Igelpflegestation Hittnau is a regional point of contact for the Zurich Oberland. A handover must be arranged by phone.

    • Igelpflegestation Hittnau
    • 8335 Hittnau
    • Phone: 044 552 57 47
    • Additional phone number: 079 935 66 84
    • Availability according to the current station directory:
      Monday to Sunday: 09:00–12:00
      Monday to Sunday: 13:00–19:00

    When making contact, please check which phone number should currently be used for admissions and where the handover will take place.

  • Igelhilfe Hinwil

    Igelhilfe Hinwil cares for hedgehogs in need in the Zurich Oberland. The organisation is run by volunteers and asks that you contact it by phone in emergencies.

    E-mails cannot always be answered immediately. If a hedgehog is injured or in acute danger, you should therefore make contact by phone.

    Further information is available from Igelhilfe Hinwil.

  • Igelstation Kollbrunn

    The Igelstation Kollbrunn cares for found animals from the Winterthur region and the neighbouring Zurich Oberland. All hedgehogs must be registered by phone before being handed over.

    • Igelstation Kollbrunn
    • Weisslingerstrasse 1, 8483 Kollbrunn
    • Advice line: 076 365 40 52
    • Availability: daily from 09:30–11:30

    Outside the advice hours, the contact form on the website can be used. In an urgent emergency, the station refers callers to the TierRettungsDienst.

    Further information is available from the Igelstation Kollbrunn.

  • Igelstation Säuliamt

    The Igelstation Säuliamt in Hedingen mainly cares for animals from the Knonauer Amt. It takes in sick, injured, underweight and orphaned hedgehogs by prior arrangement.

    Outside these hours and at weekends, the hedgehog enquiry form on the website can be used. The station will then get back to you by phone or e-mail.

    The station, which opened in 2023, can care for up to 14 hedgehogs at the same time. According to the association, a total of 184 animals were cared for in 2024. This figure describes the animals taken in, not the population in the Säuliamt.

    Further information is available from the Igelstation Säuliamt.

Which hedgehog station is responsible?

The nearest station is not automatically the one responsible or the one currently able to take in animals. As a general guide, please refer to the following regions:

  • City of Zurich and surrounding area: Igelzentrum Zürich
  • Zurich Oberland: Igelpflegestation Hittnau or Igelhilfe Hinwil
  • Winterthur region and Töss Valley: Igelstation Kollbrunn
  • Knonauer Amt and Affoltern district: Igelstation Säuliamt

Always call first. If a station is at full capacity, it may be able to refer you to another care station.

Do not transport a weakened or injured hedgehog over long distances without prior arrangement. Unnecessary transport means additional stress for the animal.

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 canton of Zurich. It is not an additional hedgehog station, nor is it a cantonal authority.

The hedgehog stations and animal welfare organisations listed are independent or privately run services. Responsibilities, availability and admission capacities can change at short notice. Please therefore always get in touch by phone first.

Cantonal contact points

The veterinary office is the right cantonal authority in particular for questions of animal welfare law, reports of problematic animal keeping or questions about care stations requiring a permit.

  • Veterinäramt des Kantons Zürich

    The Veterinäramt des Kantons Zürich is responsible for enforcing animal welfare and animal health legislation.

    The veterinary office is the competent cantonal authority in particular for questions relating to animal welfare law, uncertainties about approved care stations or general questions about caring for protected wild animals.

    Outside opening hours, the police or the TierRettungsDienst should be contacted in acute animal welfare emergencies.

    The veterinary office is not a hedgehog station and does not normally take on the direct care of individual found animals. If you find an injured or sick hedgehog, you should therefore first contact the Igelzentrum, a regional hedgehog station or the TierRettungsDienst.

Report hedgehog sightings in the canton of Zurich

Sightings can be recorded on the StadtWildTiere Zürich and Wilde Nachbarn platforms.

  • Such reports help to:

    • document the distribution of hedgehogs
    • identify gaps in their occurrence
    • locate possible danger spots
    • select future study areas
    • observe changes over several years

  • If possible, note down:

    • the date and time
    • the exact location of the sighting
    • the condition of the hedgehog
    • any particular dangers at the site
    • if possible, a photo taken from a safe distance

A sighting report is no substitute for emergency help. If a hedgehog is injured or weakened, a hedgehog station must also be contacted.

The canton of Zurich as a habitat for hedgehogs

The canton of Zurich offers hedgehogs a wide variety of habitats. Particularly suitable are:

  • green residential neighbourhoods
  • near-natural private gardens
  • parks and cemeteries
  • allotment garden areas
  • orchards
  • hedges and planted embankments
  • richly structured village edges
  • transitions between settlements and farmland

Suitable built-up areas can be found, for example, in and around Zurich, Winterthur, Uster, Dübendorf, Kloten, Bülach, Wetzikon, Hinwil, Horgen, Wädenswil, Affoltern am Albis and numerous other municipalities.

In the city of Zurich, parks, cemeteries, allotment gardens, green courtyards and private gardens form important places of refuge. What matters, however, is that these areas remain connected to one another.

In more rural areas, hedgehogs benefit from traditional standard orchards, native hedges, herbaceous margins, brush piles and extensively managed field margins.

Aerial view of the allotment garden area at Friesenberg in Zurich, with beds, sheds and trees
A hedgehog on a log

How many hedgehogs live in the canton of Zurich?

There is currently no scientifically established total figure for all the hedgehogs living in the canton of Zurich. For individual regions, however, comparatively good and up-to-date survey data is available.

Particularly thoroughly surveyed were:

  • the city of Zurich
  • the Zimmerberg region
  • various other built-up areas in the canton of Zurich as part of observation projects

The results show that hedgehogs still occur in many built-up areas of the canton of Zurich. At the same time, there are large local differences and gaps in their distribution.

A hedgehog among stones

Development of the hedgehog population in the city of Zurich

For the city of Zurich, comparative surveys spanning several decades are available. Between 1992 and 2017, the estimated hedgehog population fell by around 40 per cent. At the same time, the known distribution area within the city shrank by around 17 per cent.

In summer 2024, the survey was repeated using sighting reports and footprint tunnels.

The key results:

  • 53 areas distributed across the city were surveyed.
  • Hedgehog tracks were found in 47 of the 53 areas surveyed.
  • The average density in the areas surveyed was estimated at around 33 hedgehogs per square kilometre.
  • There were large local differences between the individual study sites.
  • Gaps in the distribution remained in several areas.

The results suggest that the hedgehog population in the city of Zurich stabilised or possibly recovered slightly between 2017 and 2024. However, this does not fully make up for the earlier decline.

The full results can be found at StadtWildTiere Zürich – Igel gesucht.

A hedgehog in the grass

Hedgehogs in the Zimmerberg region

The Zimmerberg region was also surveyed with footprint tunnels in 2024. The project area included:

  • Adliswil
  • Horgen
  • Kilchberg
  • Langnau am Albis
  • Oberrieden
  • Richterswil
  • Rüschlikon
  • Thalwil
  • Wädenswil

The key results:

  • 32 areas were surveyed.
  • Hedgehog tracks were found in all 32 areas.
  • The average density was estimated at around 35 hedgehogs per square kilometre.
  • Compared with other regions surveyed, this figure is considered rather high.

As comparable data from previous years is lacking, it is not yet possible to assess whether the population in the Zimmerberg region is increasing, remaining stable or declining.

Further information is available at Wilde Nachbarn Zimmerberg – Igel gesucht.

Tree stump, brush pile and young shrubs as shelter for hedgehogs

Why these figures cannot be applied to the whole canton

The density values of 33 and 35 hedgehogs per square kilometre respectively apply only to the areas surveyed. They must not be multiplied by the total area of the canton of Zurich.

The canton encompasses very different habitats:

  • densely built-up urban neighbourhoods
  • suburban municipalities
  • farmland
  • forests
  • industrial and commercial areas
  • lakeshores and river valleys
  • hilly and pre-Alpine areas

Today, hedgehogs live mainly in richly structured built-up areas. Dense forests and intensively used farmland with little structure offer them much poorer conditions.

The number of animals taken in by hedgehog stations is not a population figure either. Many admissions may be due to more hazards, unfavourable weather, the stations being well known or a greater willingness among the public to report animals.

Hedgehog-friendly area right next to a road with lorries

Dangers for hedgehogs in the canton of Zurich

The most common dangers include:

  • busy roads
  • robotic lawnmowers and string trimmers
  • pesticides, insecticides and slug pellets
  • closed fences and walls
  • light wells and basement stairways
  • pools, ponds and open water basins
  • protective netting and loose string
  • completely sealed surfaces
  • a lack of hedges and hiding places
  • garden lighting at night

Particular care is needed when mowing under hedges, shrubs and on embankments. Hedgehogs often do not flee from garden tools but curl up instead. This makes them almost invisible in long grass.

Robotic lawnmowers should only be used during the day. Before mowing with brush cutters or string trimmers, areas that are hard to see must be checked by hand.

Naturally designed area with deadwood, stones and shrubs

Protecting habitats in the canton of Zurich together

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, companies and farming, horticultural and property businesses can help to preserve safe routes and refuges.

In new developments and redesigns, not only individual green spaces but also their connection with neighbouring habitats should be taken into account. Permeable property boundaries, unsealed surfaces and native planting help not only hedgehogs but also amphibians, insects, birds and other native animal species.

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 the canton of Zurich a safer and better place 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