Celebrities Join Call to End Hedgehog Killing in the Western Isles of Scotland

Why the killing group didn’t look to relocation as an option on their own is a question to look at.

Article:

Stars join campaign to save hedgehogs

http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=372&id=271022007


JOHN ROSS

STARS such as the Queen guitarist Brian May and the actresses Joanna Lumley and Jenny Seagrove have urged Scottish Natural Heritage to end its cull of hedgehogs in the Western Isles.

The SNH board meets today and is likely to back a recommendation to stop giving the animals lethal injections in favour of relocating them to the mainland for a trial period.

Among the documents board members will consider is a letter from celebrities backing the work of Uist Hedgehog Rescue (UHR), a coalition of animal welfare bodies opposed to the cull.

Ross Minett, a spokesman for UHR, said: "We are delighted to have such well-known and respected personalities supporting our call for an end to the cull of hedgehogs on the Uists.

"The future of the hedgehogs on the Uists now hangs in the balance. However, we are hopeful that SNH's board will follow the recommendation of its scientific officers and agree to end the cull in favour of translocation to the mainland."

Last week the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which originally supported the cull as the most humane way to protect important bird colonies, announced a change of heart.