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News18 August 2005 Outrage at ’conservation’ organisation’s plans to shoot uist hedgehogsUist Hedgehog Rescue (UHR) is outraged that so-called ’conservation’ organisation, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), is planning to kill healthy hedgehogs with shotguns on the Uists this autumn. SNH, the Scottish Executive and RSPB Scotland are working together as the Uist Wader Project (UWP) and attempting to kill all estimated 5,000 hedgehogs on the Scottish islands. In a letter to UHR, SNH stated: "The dogs will be used to locate hedgehogs, which will then be shot by a competent marksman, using a shotgun. SSPCA have advised that this method is acceptable." The hedgehogs are blamed for eating the eggs of wading birds on the islands. UHR, a coalition of organisations consisting of Advocates for Animals, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Trust and International Animal Rescue, is not disputing the fact that the hedgehogs need to be removed - it is simply saying that these healthy animals don’t need to be killed. UHR has now rescued and relocated to the mainland over 600 hedgehogs since 2003. It should be remembered that hedgehog populations are actually now on the decline in the UK. Since 2003, SNH has killed about 500 hedgehogs, by gassing and lethal injection. This extermination is costing the public hundreds of thousands of pounds. A UHR spokesperson said: "UHR is appalled at the thought of healthy hedgehogs being blasted away with shotguns. Is this really how the public expects their taxes to be spent by SNH, a government-funded so-called ’conservation’ organisation? This extermination policy is turning from the bizarre to the ridiculous. This unethical scenario would not be necessary if SNH and the other members of the Uist Wader Project would work with UHR to catch and relocate the hedgehogs live to the mainland. This is the simple, ethical, and humane solution to the problem. Sleeping hedgehogs obviously won’t stand a chance against the guns and these marksmen will literally have ’blood on their hands’. SNH exists to protect Scotland’s natural heritage, not to kill it. Killing these hedgehogs is flying in the face of expert advice, decades of practical experience and public opinion. Opposition is widespread and will continue until this immoral treatment of our wildlife is halted." Notes to Editors |
One thousand Uist hedgehogs relocated UIST Hedgehog Rescue moves hundreds more hedgehogs to mainland Scotland First hundred Uist hedgehogs released on mainland Scotland  |
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