Report from Reuel Chisholm
Hedgehog Cull Proves Fruitless As 60 Born On North Uist
By Clive Dennier in the Press & Journal, 7 th July 2003
Fast-breeding hedgehogs have spiked the guns of their would-be destroyers in the Western Isles. The cull on North Uist finished on May 23 with 66 hedgehogs killed by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). However, it has emerged that just six weeks later, 60 baby hedgehogs have been born to take their place.
The births mean the estimated population on North Uist has dropped by just six. As the cull cost a total of £26,000, the cost per animal culled is effectively over £4,330.
SNH launched the cull in a bid to stop hedgehogs eating birds' eggs but half of the estimated 132 animals on North Uist avoided the dogs used to sniff them out and carried on breeding.
Ross Minett, of the charity Advocates for Animals, speaking on behalf of Uist Hedgehog Rescue, a coalition of groups working together, said SNH could have handled the situation better as they were virtually back to where they started with hedgehog numbers.
"They don't seem to have put any long-term strategy in place," said Mr Minett.
He added that the campaigners against culling were hoping to meet up with SNH officials next month to discuss some kind of post-release monitoring study for the prickly creatures.
If the scheme is agreed, it would be a U-turn for SNH, which originally said that relocation would be too cruel and culling was the only answer.
He explained: "The study will prove to SNH what we have been saying all along, that hedgehogs can be safely relocated without them suffering lingering deaths."
Mr Minett said it was hoped this scheme could start next year, although the campaigners would only co-operate with SNH if the quango agreed not to kill any more hedgehogs.
Uist Hedgehog Rescue successfully relocated 150 hedgehogs from North Uist, South Uist and Benbecula during the cull and for a two-week period after it finished.
The campaigners transported all the saved hedgehogs off the islands to southern Scotland and the Bristol area in England.
Nearly 50 hedgehogs sent to Bristol will be electronically tagged by students from the University of Bristol under the guidance of mammals expert Professor Stephen Harris.
It is hoped to prove that the hedgehogs can survive the trauma of relocation and live quite happily in their new habitat.
The cull was part of the Uist Wader Project - a partnership between SNH and the Scottish Executive - and supported by RSPB Scotland. More than 1,200 letters of objection from animal lovers from around the world were lodged against the cull.
SNH scientists are in favour of a complete cull to save important wading bird populations being decimated by the egg-eating hedgehogs.
© Press & Journal, 7 th July 2003
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