Hedgehogs threatened by robot mowers, German activists warn
Timothy Jones
September 7, 2024
Robot mowers damage biodiversity and harm many creatures, including hedgehogs, according to German conservationists. Some of them are calling for a ban on nighttime mowing.
Hedgehog numbers are falling in GermanyImage: Frank Hecker/blickwinkel/picture alliance
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Conservationists and scientists in Germany have called for a ban on the nighttime use of robot mowers in order to protect hedgehogs, with a study showing that many of the animals die after being lacerated by the devices.
Hedgehogs are particularly in danger from mowers operating at night, as the animals are nocturnal feeders and do not flee when in danger, instead relying on their spines as defense — an inadequate protection against the sharp metal blades of a robotic mowing machine.
Because robot mowers are relatively quiet, they are the only type of lawn mower to be allowed to operate at night or on Sundays in Germany. Their use has greatly increased over the past few years.
Small animals, plants, beetles all threatened
According to Corinna Hölzel from the conservation group BUND, a ban on nighttime mowing "is the minimum" required.
"It would be even better to do without robot mowers completely," she told the German DPA news agency.
This hedgehog 'hospital' is saving hundreds of lives
Volunteers at a hedgehog sanctuary in western Germany work around the clock so that the hundred or so orphaned and wounded animals can return to nature.
Image: Julett Pineda/DW
The downtown hedgehog sanctuary
Located in the western city of Wuppertal, Netzwerk Igel e.V. is one of a shrinking number of nonprofit organizations in Germany that cares for sick and injured hedgehogs. It takes in between 400 and 500 hedgehogs every year and provides them with food, medicine and shelter as they recover.
Image: Julett Pineda/DW
Displaced from their natural habitat
The hedgehog species native to Germany is the brown-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus). These animals usually inhabit open landscapes, but farming and pesticide use often push them out of their natural habitats. It's common to find large populations in backyards or on the fringes of human settlements, which increases their risk of getting injured.
Image: Julett Pineda/DW
Like a busy city hospital
Monika Thomas, the founder and chief of Netzwerk Igel, describes the rescue center as a "hospital for hedgehogs." The animals are nocturnal animals; spot one during the day and it's likely either to be sick or hungry. Every day, Thomas receives an average of 10 to 15 calls from people who have seen hedgehogs that might need help.
Image: Julett Pineda/DW
Not such a strong defense
Contrary to other species that might flee when faced with danger, hedgehogs choose to curl up into a ball and remain motionless. This doesn't harm them when they are in the medical bay at the rescue center, but it's dangerous when they are in the wild or on a busy road. "They are at the mercy of what comes next," said Thomas.
Image: Julett Pineda/DW
Seasonal emergencies
The most serious injuries occur during the summer. Some hedgehogs arrive with wounds caused by garden tools or by cars. Others fall into swimming pools or are attacked by dogs. Robot lawn mowers are particularly dangerous. The sensors in some of them are insufficient to detect the presence of small animals.
Image: Julett Pineda/DW
A little hedgehog nursery
Conservationists estimate the hedgehog population is reducing at an alarming rate. The animals only breed once a year; less than half the litter is likely to survive the first winter. Baby hedgehogs need to weigh more than 400 grams (almost a pound) by fall to make it through hibernation. Each winter, the rescue center becomes a sanctuary for little hedgehogs who didn't reach that weight in time.
Image: Julett Pineda/DW
Invisible wounds, increasing risks
Most hedgehogs in the center arrive with injuries to their head, legs or paws, but some come in with internal injuries, too. These are more difficult to detect and only become noticeable after observing how the animal behaves post-trauma. That's the case with the hedgehog in this photo: It was diagnosed with neurological damage and is now slowly recovering in the "intensive care unit."
Image: Julett Pineda/DW
No institutional support
Thomas founded Netzwerk Igel in 2006 after inheriting a little money. Now the rescue center runs entirely on donations. It currently houses around 120 hedgehogs. Sometimes it gets busy for the volunteers ― another sanctuary in the region closed recently. The donations the center receives are enough to hire only one person full-time. "We don't receive any municipal support," said Thomas.
Image: Julett Pineda/DW
Yearning to go home
Once they have recovered, the hedgehogs are returned to the wild — most of them to the places where they were found. When that's not possible, Thomas and her team look for a new spot in and around Wuppertal. They rely on the support of local residents and hope in the process to boost hedgehog protection: "We explain to them how to arrange their garden with dead wood and leaves," she said.
Image: Julett Pineda/DW
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She said that such mowers were also a danger to biodiversity because they were incapable of deciding what not to mow.
"They cut down every daisy," she said, saying this meant that wild bees, butterflies and beetles lost important food sources.
Scientists involved in the Leibnitz Institute study also called for robotic mowing at night to be banned as the quickest and easiest way to protect the hedgehogs from the danger posed by the practice.
The animal was put on a "Red List" in Germany in 2020, a forewarning of possible danger of extinction.
Some smaller municipalities in Germany have already introduced bans on nighttime robot mowing, while the major western city of Cologne is also considering such a move.
The hedgehog was chosen as the Wild Animal of the Year in 2024 by the German Wildlife Foundation (Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung).
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