Why New Zealand wants to eradicate hedgehogs

“They’re really very destructive predators and insects. We need to get rid of them completely.” The result is clear. It was signed on the channel’s website by Tim Lovegrove, a researcher affiliated with the City Council of Auckland, New Zealand’s main city. TVNZ. In his viewfinder: Hedgehogs. The Auckland City Council has listed mammals as endangered species, along with rats, toads and opossums. In the south of the country, authorities plan to remove all hedgehogs from the 2,300-hectare area around the McKenzie Basin starting next July. le material.

“They are a threat because our native animals did not develop to deal with such plants, and because conditions in arid areas are favorable for hedgehogs, people can reach higher densities – that’s bad news if you have one.” Because this is the problem of this animal: its hunger can affect the balance of the ecosystem in some parts of the country.

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“Killing Machine”

Lizards, grasshoppers, insects, but the eggs of some rare bird species: small mammals can become a real “killing machine” to use the word used Defender. Even the country’s iconic bird Kiwi is sometimes featured at the New Zealand Hedgehog Feast. “We’ll find out more and more about the damage they can do,” Nick Foster told The Guardian. According to the newspaper, there are more hedgehogs in New Zealand than in the United Kingdom, although the species was introduced to the Pacific Islands over a century ago by British settlers. “I don’t hate hedgehogs. They are interesting, intelligent and attractive creatures and no one wants to see a hedgehog suffer, ”said Nick Foster. This is why New Zealand scientists insist that the eradication must be done in a targeted and strategic manner, with proper traps and humanity. The days of hedgehogs in New Zealand seem to be numbered.

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