About Us

Animal protection, welfare and rescue organisations have been working together as the Uist Hedgehog Rescue (UHR) coalition since 2002. UHR consists of Advocates for Animals, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Trust and International Animal Rescue.

From 2003 to 2006 we rescued and relocated over 740 hedgehogs from the Scottish Outer Hebrides islands of North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist, to the mainland. We worked with the local islanders and a small team of volunteer catchers. All caught hedgehogs were health checked before being taken to Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Centre in Ayrshire for re-homing at suitable locations around Scotland. Post-release monitoring shows that these animals survive well. Our work has been supported by expert advice, practical experience, common sense and public opinion.

Our rescue was made necessary due to the decision by Scottish Natural Heritage to kill an estimated 5,000 hedgehogs on the islands. Attempting to kill the entire population of hedgehogs was an effort to protect the eggs of the islands’ declining population of wader birds. SNH is part of the Uist Wader Project (UWP), along with the Scottish Executive and RSPB Scotland. The killing, which resulted in the deaths of around 700 healthy animals, was funded using thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money.

Hedgehogs are not native to the islands - a few were introduced in 1974 to help control slugs and snails in an islander’s garden. Since then the hedgehogs have spread across the islands. UHR totally accepts the need to protect the internationally important populations of wader birds. However we have always said that these healthy hedgehogs should simply be moved and not killed. In that way, both the waders and the hedgehogs can be saved. We are delighted that Scottish Natural Heritage has finally decided to end the cull in favour of a trial translocation to the mainland.