Hedgehog Cull

[Peter M]

According to Yahoo news there is as we speak, a mass cull of thousands of hedgehogs in the Outer Hebrides. This is being carried out by the Scottish Natural Heritage and it does not say why this is happening. My point is if the poor hedeghog can be culled why not the Cormorants? :confused:

[StuMac]

Hedgehogs were taken to the Outer Hebrides by a gardener who thought they would control his slugs. They've found conditions much to their liking, and are destroying the eggs of land breeding sea birds.

 

Sad 'cos I like Hedgehogs, they should never have been taken their in the first place and they really are doiong some damage now.

[Leon Roskilly]

I heard on the radio that they put out traps etc last night, and went searching for them, didn't find one!

 

(perhaps because they are still hibernating!!)

 

Tight Lines - leon

[corydoras]

Peter Martin:

My point is if the poor hedeghog can be culled why not the Cormorants?   :confused:  

Because cormorants are birds. Under UK legistlation just about all birds from avocets to zebra finches (if we had them) are protected. The only exceptions are some ducks, and some members of the crow family. That's it. Get used to it, because whether you like it or not thats the law.

 

The hedgehogs were artificially introduced to a part of the UK where they were not native and should be eradicated from there because thay are causing an environmental disaster.

 

There is a similar problem in my 'home waters' at Loch Lomond in Scotland where some wallies introduced ruffe, probably whilst live-baiting for pike.

 

This was back around 1982. Now the loch is full of ruffe and scientists are very concerned about the long term impact on the native powan population because ruffe have a taste for powan eggs. I suspect that it will be impossible to eradicate the ruffe from the loch and that the powan will end up extinct.

[Peter M]

I'm not against culling to protect the natural balance of an ecosystem, even hedghogs. I was in sympathy with the ban of live baiting in the lakes to protect the rare native fish that inhabit the lakes (no not the pike before some bright spark post that). But still the problem of inland breeding cormorants plagues our fisharies and is changing the natural order of the enviroment, we need to be open minded to the option of culling cormorants.

[Bill Eborn]

StuMac:

Hedgehogs were taken to the Outer Hebrides by a gardener who thought they would control his slugs.

Its just as well Chub won't do too well in the Outer Hebrides, otherwise it could be even worse!