Unethical and costly wildlife cull flies in the face of expert advice

With the annual cull of hedgehogs on North Uist and Benbecula underway again (your report, 5 April), Scottish Natural Heritage still tries to justify its killing policy by claiming that moving hedgehogs to the mainland is inhumane. Yet it can provide no scientific evidence to support this claim. On the contrary, the evidence suggests that, if done properly, hedgehogs can be successfully released back into the wild.

Uist Hedgehog Rescue is a coalition of animal welfare, protection and rescue organisations, with expert advisers on ecology and hedgehogs. We understand that the introduced hedgehogs must be removed from the islands to protect the breeding populations of wader birds, but we believe that these healthy wild animals should be translocated to the mainland instead of being killed.

World hedgehog experts support UHR. Last year, at a meeting of the European Hedgehog Research Group, the majority of those present signed the following statement: "We recognise the need for the Uist wader population to be protected. And to that end, we accept the need for hedgehogs to be removed from the islands. However, the undersigned attendees ... including many of the world’s leading experts in hedgehog ecology and behaviour, call for Scottish Natural Heritage to halt the cull of hedgehogs on the Uists. And, in view of the published scientific studies that indicate that hedgehog translocation can be undertaken successfully, we call on SNH to support the efforts of those wishing to translocate the hedgehogs in a careful and well-monitored manner."

It should be remembered that more than 5,000 rescued and rehabilitated hedgehogs are released back into the wild each year by organisations such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the SSPCA. Is SNH accusing these organisations of being cruel?

Hedgehog populations are in decline in certain areas of the UK. This is mainly as a result of habitat fragmentation due to intensive agricultural practices, housing developments and new roads. Hedgehogs are unable to repopulate the resulting "islands" of habitat. So, contrary to SNH’s claims, if hedgehogs are released into suitable locations in appropriately small numbers, they can easily be absorbed.

SNH seems to be a law unto itself, accountable to nobody. SNH exists to protect Scotland’s natural heritage, not to kill it. It should be remembered that this unethical "conservation" work is being paid for using taxpayers’ money, yet killing hedgehogs is flying in the face of expert advice and public opinion.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds have already been spent on this project, with 319 hedgehogs killed. UHR however, through its reward scheme for islanders, has put more than 3,000 back into the local communities.

Over the past two years, we have rescued and removed nearly 400 hedgehogs from the islands, helping wading birds and the hedgehogs. SNH was warned that we would oppose its hedgehog-killing policy. This we have done and will continue to do until this unethical treatment of our wildlife is halted.

ROSS MINETT

Uist Hedgehog Rescue

Queensferry Street

Edinburgh