Lawn mowers pose a grave danger to hedgehogs, with their shortened operating hours potentially proving to be fatal for these small creatures in the night. - Harmful Impact of Harvesting Robots on Hedgehog Populations
Germany's Hedgehog Predicament: Night-time Mowing Robots and the Call for a Ban
Garden enthusiasts across Germany are gearing up for the spring lawn care season, but their trusted mowing robots pose a grave threat to the already endangered hedgehog population, particularly at night. The environmental and nature conservation organization, Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz (BUND) in Baden-Württemberg, and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) are advocating for a nighttime ban on mowing robots to help protect these vulnerable creatures.
Small mammals, including hedgehogs, are shy and active during dusk and nighttime. However, hedgehogs, unlike many of their counterparts, curl up instead of fleeing when threatened. This makes them especially susceptible to injury from mowing robots, which run unsupervised at night.
Between the end of June 2022 and the end of October 2023, researchers from Leibniz-IZW in collaboration with numerous hedgehog rescue stations documented 370 cases of injured hedgehogs nationwide. Tragically, nearly half of them did not survive their wounds, as many go unreported or unfound.
In tests conducted by the University of Aalborg in Denmark, 16 of the 19 mowing robot models examined failed to recognize a dead hedgehog, leading to injury.
Major manufacturers such as Husqvarna, Gardena, and Stihl, market leaders in Germany, acknowledge the potential danger posed by mowing robots to hedgehogs. Some strategies implemented by these companies include not providing night activation in the preset mowing plans and providing ultrasound sensors to detect obstacles larger than a hedgehog.
Despite these measures, only AI-powered mowers using image recognition in combination with laser or ultrasound technology can be considered promising in minimizing the risk of injury to hedgehogs. However, even these have yet to demonstrate hedgehog-friendly capabilities.
The state capital of Thuringia and several cities, such as Erfurt and Mainz, have already introduced nighttime restrictions on lawnmower use, while Cologne has a general ban on nighttime lawnmower operations. Leipzig, however, does not have a specific regulation regarding the use of mowing robots at night, with potential fines and imprisonment for non-compliance.
Despite the gravity of the situation, there are still no federal regulations to address this issue. Some argue that an additional ban would be unnecessary as the killing of animals is already regulated in nature conservation and animal protection law. The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation plans to address this issue in 2026, with potential focus on creating technical rules for hedgehog-friendly mowing robots.
To promote wildlife-friendly gardens, conservationists encourage blocking off a section of the garden from mowing robots, allowing the grass to grow tall. This provides daytime refuge for hedgehogs and other nocturnal animals. If a mowing robot is not necessary for lawn maintenance, then it can benefit many wildlife species, including insects, amphibians, and more.
- Considering the grave threat posed by night-time mowing robots to hedgehogs, the environmental science community is advocating for a nighttime ban to protect these vulnerable creatures, as part of a broader lifestyle focused on home-and-garden and health-and-wellness practices that prioritize environmental conservation.
- To address the German hedgehog predicament, it is crucial to invest in the development of modern, AI-powered mowing robots equipped with image recognition, laser, or ultrasound technology to ensure they can identify and avoid nocturnal animals like hedgehogs during vocational training sessions, contributing to the field of environmental-science research.
- Embracing the concept of a wildlife-friendly community policy, garden enthusiasts can take a proactive step in promoting the health-and-wellness of hedgehogs and other nocturnal creatures by leaving a section of their garden untouched during vocational training periods, allowing the grass to grow and providing much-needed refuge for these animals during the day.
