Last Updated on 07/09/2024 by Arun jain
Conservationists and scientists in Germany have called for a ban on nighttime use to protect hedgehogs, with a study showing that many of the animals die after being injured by the devices.
According to Study of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, About half of the 370 hedgehogs that were examined after being cut by mowers’ blades died of their injuries or had to be put down.
Hedgehogs are particularly at risk from mowers operating at night, as the animals are nocturnal feeders and cannot run away when threatened, instead relying on their spines as defense – inadequate protection against the sharp metal blades of robotic mowing machines.
Because robot mowers are relatively quiet, they are the only type of lawn mower allowed to be operated at night or on Sundays in Germany. Their use has increased a lot in the last few years.
Small animals, plants, beetles all threaten
According to Corinna Holzel of the conservation group BUND, a ban on nighttime mowing is the “minimum” needed.
“It would be better to do it completely without the robot mower,” she told the German DPA news agency.
She said such mowers were also a threat to biodiversity because they were unable to decide what not to cut.
“They cut down every daisy,” she said, adding that this means wild bees, butterflies and beetles lose important food sources.
Scientists involved in the Leibnitz Institute study also called for a ban on robotic mowing at night, as the quickest and easiest way to protect hedgehogs from the dangers posed by the practice.
Hedgehogs on the ‘Red List’
According to the Leibniz Institute, .
The animal was placed on the “Red List” in Germany in 2020, warning of possible extinction.
Some smaller municipalities in Germany have already introduced bans on night-time 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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