Experts offer 10 top tips to help turn gardens and open spaces into wildlife havens, after admissions of injured and distressed animals soared in 2024
Animal welfare charity the RSPCA is calling on all Londoners to try to help wildlife by creating safe havens in their gardens and local green spaces.
Give nature a chance: we a few modest adaptations, our parks, open spaces, gardens, even window boxes can help to nurture nature this spring
Last year, 10,209 wild animals were admitted to the charity’s wildlife centres across England – up by 35% on the previous year.
Across the country, of the animals commonly found in domestic gardens, hedgehog admissions last year were by far the highest of any wild animal at 2,275, followed by wood pigeons (1,113) and blackbirds (288).
The RSPCA’s wildlife centres care for thousands of animals every year, including many which have been found in people’s gardens – including those left sick, orphaned, or injured by everyday hazards such as netting entanglement or strimmers.
The rapidly rising intake of wild animals at centres follows a busy year for the charity. Across England and Wales, 40,003 incidents relating to wild animals were reported to the RSPCA in 2024, including the 5,341 from Greater London.
Hedgehog homes: piles of logs and leaves offer shelter for a host of garden creatures
The RSPCA hopes the public can help keep wild animals safe by creating havens in their own gardens or local community green spaces.
“These shocking wildlife centre admission numbers show that wild animals face huge challenges. We cannot tackle this alone – so we’re urgently asking the public to do their bit to help animals,” said RSPCA wildlife expert Rebecca Machin.
“We’d like to make gardens a better place for wildlife, from removing hazards like netting which can seriously injure or kill, to ensuring that your garden offers an environment that can help a range of wild animals flourish, such as adding ponds and wild areas.
“Everyone London can do their bit – and there’s so many simple solutions to help create a safe haven outside your back door. We feel this could be a lifeline for wildlife, and also take some of the pressure of our dedicated teams on the frontline.
“And outside the garden, getting involved in projects such as the annual toads in roads migratory patrols are also ways of doing your bit for wildlife, and being a Wildlife Friend in your community.
“By working together, we can create a better world for every animal, and for every kind.”
RSPCA’s 10 tips to create a wildlife-friendly garden
- Leave and encourage wild, insect-friendly areas in your garden.
- Avoid using netting to cover ponds, fruit or vegetables, as animals can become easily entangled, causing serious injuries and sometimes death. Put away sports netting when not in use. If you find a trapped animal and can do so safely, please try to free them and take them to a vet yourself – this will ensure they get help as quickly as possible. Find out more on the RSPCA website.
- Cover all drains and leave watering cans upside down to prevent animals from falling in or becoming trapped.
Check carefully for animals before mowing or strimming the lawn. Check bonfires for hibernating animals before setting light to them. And never disturb nesting or hibernating animals.- Provide logs, compost and leaf piles which provide shelter for animals like hedgehogs and are havens for insects.
- Amphibians such as toads, frogs and newts need a pond to breed, so adding one to the garden is a great way to encourage animals. Ensure there is a slope or ramp out of any ponds – which provide a natural source of water and attract food sources such as insects – to create easy access in and out.
- Create homes for wildlife such as “hogitats”, bat boxes, bird boxes, bee houses and insect hotels.
- Leave out fresh, clean water and food sources (such as meaty food like dog food for hedgehogs, or nuts, seeds and grains for birds – here are some ideas on what to feed the birds).
- Avoid using dangerous pesticides and other harmful chemicals, and storing chemicals away from any wildlife and pets.
- Plant a range of native plants, to encourage pollinators such as bees, hoverflies and butterflies.
Feeding time: leaving bird feeders out in your garden can be very rewarding
When an animal is in need, the quicker they get help the better.
The best thing for a member of the public to do if they find a small sick or injured animal – and if it’s safe to do so – is to take them directly to a vet for immediate help.
Helpful advice on supporting wildlife and other animals in need is available on the RSPCA’s website www.rspca.org.uk/reportcruelty.
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I’ve been managing my garden for nature for years now. The raggedy hedge is full of birds and I’m looking forward to this spring and summer’s wildflowers.
Too many people have been led to believe that gardens have to be ordered and ‘tidy’ (like one of my neighbours!) but those type of gardens always feel very unwelcoming and unnatural to me.
Even if you don’t want to change all of your garden, please leave some space for nature.
It’s tragic when people astroturf, cement, tarmac and patio over their whole garden.
I expect service-cutting cash-strapped Croydon Council will shortly send the mowers and strimmers in to eradicate, at our expense, the wildlife growing in our parks and on our streets, just to satisfy the narrow-minded voters that elected short-sleeved part-time plastic-pushing Perry
It’s started already. And Tory councillors, such as Ian Parker and Robert Ward, so desperate to portray Perry’s administration as anything other than the comprehensive failure it has been, have been including such grass cutting as one of Perry’s successes.
What happened is that Parker and Wardy etc were advised to ‘touch grass’ and they just got a little confused.
They misheard kiss arse
Perry’s slash-and-burn policy has closed libraries, cut youth services and stopped the public from being able to enter the council’s offices. This in the name of “fixing the finances”.
Yet he still finds the money – our money – to commit ecocide