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30 April 2003
SNH Hedgehog Saga
Update 30th April 2003
Dr James Irvine
Teviot Scientific Consultancy, Edinburgh,
Teviot Agriculture, Cultybraggan Farm, Perthshire, Scotland
(Filed 30 April 2003)
© www.land-care.org.uk
Mr George Anderson of SNH during a TV news programme
North Tonight Monday 28th April said that to date during the first
three weeks of the hedgehog catching-and-destruction-by-lethal-injection
venture, they have so far caught 30 hedgehogs. The report said that
SNH staff were supplemented by four sniffer dogs that had undergone
training for the purpose and had been tested for their efficiency
at the job last year. That is two more sniffer dogs than the total
number currently available to Customs and Excise for controlling
the import of illegal meat products into any of the UK’s airports
or seaports, although the number is due to increase to six over
the next three years (1).
Mr Anderson was at pains to point out that the
sniffer dogs only sniffed out the hedgehogs, leaving the actual
catching to SNH staff - this to be legally correct in view of the
legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament in its misguided and
parliament-time-consuming drive to stop fox hunting with dogs. Apparently
rescue volunteers have already caught 80 and have relocated them
to the mainland (2). There is also clear disagreement
between SNH and the rescue organisations as to the last date that
pregnant hedgehogs can be safely relocated (2).
According to SNH it is May 1st, but according to rescue organisations
it is May 15th.
It would appear that the hedgehogs are nae sae
daft (cha'n e gòrach).
When they savvy that the dogs are out they escape to rabbit burrows.
And so the farce goes on.
Mr Anderson went on to say that the project covered
30 square kilometres of ground. Clearly this project was going to
be a lengthy one, even to clear the 200 hedgehogs in the area of
most concern.
However, previous communications have indicated
that there are presently some 5000 hedgehogs in the Uists, such
has been the delay in SNH doing anything about the long-standing
problem, although they were told plenty by the local gamekeepers
and others in the local community (3). Indeed the
matter created so much frustration that it developed into a Petition
to the Scottish Parliament (4). Presumably if the
5000 hedgehogs are not cleared some of them are likely to move into
the territory vacated by the 200. Does SNH seek to get a law passed
to ban further importation of hedgehogs into these islands, or is
this saga just going to run and run - all for the conservation of
waders?
The TV programme commentated that it would take
some six years to deal with the problem with costs running into
a six figure sum - that means £100,000 or multiples thereof.
Serious questions have to be asked as to the economic
accountablilty of SNH as well as the quality of the science that
it purports to pursue (5) and their ability to
manage land (6, 7).
Dr James Irvine
© www.land-care.org.uk
References
1. DEFRA (2003). Further action
on illegal meat imports. News Release, 25 March 2003.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2003/030325a.htm
2. BBC News (2003). Dogs help
hedgehog cull. BBC online, 28 April 2003.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/2982029.stm
3. Mitchell, Ian (2003). Hedgehog
problem is not new.
(Filed 11 April 2003, www.land-care.org.uk,
click
here to view).
4. Land-Care Editorial (2003).
Hedgehogs on Uist - SNH in more trouble. Petition to the Scottish
Parliament.
(Filed 27 January 2003, www.land-care.org.uk,
click
here to view).
5. Irvine, James (2003). Conservation
and the Misuse of Science. Hedgehogs, Bats and Badgers.
(Filed 15 April 2003, www.land-care.org.uk,
click
here to view).
6. Mitchell, Ian (2003). Drastic
change in land management. The Herald, 25 April 2003.
(Filed 25 April 2003, www.land-care.org.uk,
click
here to view).
7. Blackett, Geva (2003). Conservation
Bill. The Herald, 29 April 2003 (Click
here to view).
Further Reading Recommended by Land-Care
Thain, Tonya (2003). Hedgehogs: autocratic attitude. The Oban Times,
Letter, 17 April 2003.
(Filed 25 April 2003, www.land-care.org.uk,
click
here to view).
Ross, John (2003). New doubts raised on cull of hedgehogs. The Scotsman,
12th April 2003
(Filed 14 April 2003, www.land-care.org.uk,
click
here to view).
SNH told to think again. This time about hedgehogs.
(Filed 29 January 2003, www.land-care.org.uk,
click
here to view).
Hope, Mark (2003). Hedgehogs Galore. Letter in The Oban Times, Thursday
16 January 2003.
(Filed 20 January 2003, www.land-care.org.uk,
click
here to view).
Gamekeepers’ Association Official Joins Growing Row over Hedgehogs.
Oban Times, 9th January 2003.
(Filed 13 January 2003, www.land-care.org.uk,
click
here to view).
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