Robot lawn mowers kill hedgehogs
The greatest man-made danger to hedgehogs continues to come from cars. However, robotic lawn mowers also endanger other animals. Young hares in particular are at risk when the machine passes over a burrow.
The greatest man-made danger to hedgehogs continues to come from cars. However, robotic lawn mowers also endanger other animals. Young hares in particular are at risk when the machine passes over a burrow.
No country has a higher density of robotic lawn mowers than Switzerland. For an increasing number of hedgehogs — one of the oldest mammals in the world — this is proving fatal. Juvenile hedgehogs are most frequently affected in autumn.
Specifically, the Hedgehog Rescue Station in Winterthur, Switzerland, warns that autonomous garden maintenance devices pose a growing threat to hedgehogs. In addition to lacerations, cases of scalping, severed limbs, and even sliced-open abdomens have been documented.
Robots often too simply designed
Hedgehogs' natural defensive behaviour works against them in these situations. When threatened, the rather sluggish ground-dwellers typically do not flee but instead curl up into a ball. Compounding the problem, the sensor systems on robotic mowers are usually very basic. They can avoid large objects such as trees, but may “overlook” smaller animals — such as juvenile hedgehogs.
Technical solutions in development
Manufacturer Husqvarna intends to address the problem. Lower-cost robots are to be fitted in future with a kind of “broom” that pushes smaller objects to the side. The high-end solution, on the other hand, involves a camera capable of detecting animals in the vicinity of the robot.
Changes in the way people use the mowers can also help protect animals. Operating the mowers only during daylight hours would reduce incidents, as hedgehogs are nocturnal. More on wildlife.
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