When we think of a hedgehog attempting to overcome evil, deadly robots, we only have one thought. Sonic the Hedgehog, obviously. The blue blur has been fighting Dr. Robotnik for decades. Sadly, hedgehogs have a real-life machine threat. The problem isn’t Dr. Robotnik, though; it’s robotic, automated lawnmowers.
The Threat to Hedgehogs
The hedgehog is not native to North America. They can be found in other continents natively, notably Europe. It’s in Germany, though, where action is being taken to help save hedgehogs from an awful fate. These nocturnal critters are wary of human interaction. They thrive in the dark and often find it easy to navigate through people’s yards and gardens.
A growing trend in lawn maintenance has been to mow lawns using automated robotic mowers at night. It makes logical sense. Why mow in the heat of the day when a robot can do it at night? The issue is the hedgehog and, notably, its defense mechanism. As our friend Sonic has taught us, hedgehogs roll up into balls to defend themselves. This posture does not lend itself well to being detected by the sensors of the mowers. The result is not good.
Fighting the Good Fight
To fight this, a coalition of German mayors is attempting to place bans on nighttime mowing. Several areas have already accomplished this, including Cologne, Leipzig, and Munich. More are hoping to follow through with this as the hedgehog population is dropping across Europe. But the onus is also being placed on the manufacturers to develop better technology to avoid this from happening as well.
It’s a harrowing story for sure. If there is anything to take away from this, it’s knowing that some people in government care enough to want to put a stop to this. Technology marches forward, but it shouldn’t be coming at the expense of nature and the amazing little hedgehog.
