Killing Hedgehogs ...

is there ever just cause to kill hedgehogs for conservation?

I seriously want your thoughts on this - a question so disturbing that it resulted in me writing an entire book about it just to try and work out how I feel.

The BIG question of whether we should ever kill one species to protect another - the question at the heart of Cull of the Wild- was sparked by hedgehogs.

You know I love hedgehogs!! I started working with hedgehogs nearly 40 years ago and in the last 20 they have at times threatened to take over my life! I have written three books about them, I have done hundreds of talks and lectures and media appearances - I even have a tattoo!!

One of my proudest pieces of work was undertaking the research that stopped the cull of hedgehogs on the Uists - remember this? Back in 2003 the RSPB alongside the Scottish Government set out to try and kill all the hedgehogs on these Outer Hebridean islands in an attempt to help the breeding success of ground nesting birds. 

I am now working with the Scottish Government to try and solve the problem, without killing! There is a problem. Hedgehogs do eat the eggs of ground nesting birds, and it does seem to have a conservation level impact.

When I was told about the killing of hedgehogs by New Zealand conservationists, my immediate reaction was to say NO. But ... when I met with them and talked over the problems, it became far more complicated.

Back in the 1860s hedgehogs were introduced to New Zealand - a request had been made by earlier colonialists (this is true!) for hedgehogs to be sent over to make them feel more at home. For a long time these animals were thought to be the most benign of the imports (there is an entire chapter on New Zealand in Cull of the Wild) but evidence grew that they were causing conservation problems for native wildlife. 

So - what to do? First of all, I suppose, a decision has to be made whether or not we intervene to try and save the native wildlife ... what do you think? Should we just let rats and stoats and feral cats cause extinctions? 

If we think intervention is necessary - how do we do it? Do we kill? Is there anywhere we could move the animals to? 

If we decide that killing is an option - how should it be done? Traps? Poison?

They are killing hedgehogs in New Zealand. And my personal sadness at this is that I can see no alternative. 

What do you think we could do?

 I believe that nationwide eradication will be impossible (unless some genetic scientists comes up with a species specific control mechanism ... and even then... would you trust something like that let loose on a world with lots of hedgehogs that are just going about their everyday business, causing only delight?) But it is possible that hedgehogs and other predators could be removed from 'islands' - fenced sanctuaries ... this has been done in a place called Zealandia.

That 'island' was made only through killing.

Now - every now and then someone writes to me explaining how we should simply ship the hogs back from NZ to the UK - refuelling our population while solving their problem.

It is not as simple as that ... aside from the practicality and welfare issues of translocating hedgehogs - there is the fact that this could never been seen as an attempt to eradicate hogs from NZ ... and while we are still losing hedgehogs at an alarming rate, all we will end up doing is 'feeding a sinkhole' .... 

Could hedgehogs be rounded up and kept in a zoo until they died? That would be a welfare nonsense - and absurdly expensive. How about contraception? Well, there is none ... and their prickles always damage the condoms ... 

Now this is a genuine question - this update goes to a lot of people and I do believe there are many unrecognised moments of genius out there - what alternative is there to killing hedgehogs if we want to save the native wildlife of New Zealand?

And if you want to dive into this subject a little deeper - please - track down my book, Cull of the Wild: Killing in the Name of Conservation ... find it in a library - borrow from a friend ... I really want to know what you think.