A hedgehog rescuer and conservationist from Loughgall has this week successfully campaigned for the removal of “horrific” hedgehogs houses from supermarket retailer, Lidl’s shelves.
Andrea Cowan, of Loughgall Hedgehog Rescue, led the campaign alongside a team of three other hedgehog rescue specialists from across Northern Ireland, including Mary from Dooletter Wildlife Rescue in Enniskillen, Aaron Devlin and Debbie Dolittle.
While Andrea agrees the removal of the dangerous houses from shelves is a win, she still feels strongly that more should – and could – be done.
Speaking to Armagh I, Andrea, explained: “Myself and every other rescue in the UK and further afield feel so strongly about this because these things have caused so many issues, caused so many problems and have taken so many hedgehog’s lives.”
The wildlife conservationist was first made aware of the sale of the plastic-based houses in Lidl’s middle aisle last week and immediately sprung to action in the hopes of preventing further injury of loss of life.
Added Andrea: “I spoke to a manager, who was a lovely girl, and she advised me of the best way to go about having them removed but Lidl themselves have not been very good at coming back to me. They keep sending what appears to be an automated response.
“They have been good at sending out press releases but, as one of the initial people who raised this with them and contacted them, they are yet to come back to me with an official response.”
Andrea believes that Lidl’s removal of the ‘death trap’ houses could be a first for Northern Ireland.
The ‘horrific’ hedgehog houses which have now been removed from sale
“It has been pushed by a lot of people and by rescues in the UK too. They helped to further our cause by sharing the post and they have been trying to get them banned for years but haven’t been successful. They have just had them temporarily removed from stores but then they next thing they see they are back out again,” said Andrea.
“This might be the first time in northern Ireland that they have been seen and removed from shelves.”
Lidl said they have had “no reports of any issues” and that “All products we sell comply with all EU and National Regulation.”
In June 2024 Lidl, announced the start of a new five-year international and strategic partnership with World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), one of the world’s largest independent conservation organisations.
The partnership which is active in 31 countries focusses on working along “Lidl’s value chain, thereby helping to address the global ecological challenges of our time, ensuring that more households have access to more sustainable choices and encouraging business models that work in harmony with nature and within planetary boundaries.”
While the cornerstone of the partnership relates to sustainability and helping customers to “make even more sustainable choices”, Andrea calls the ethos of the partnership into question in regards to Lidl’s internal purchasing processes.
She explained: “The problem is the houses because the hedgehogs get trapped in the wires and they usually have plastic inside. These ones in particular weren’t wicker they were a terrible type of plastic. These houses are not made from natural materials.
“The thing with plastic is that it will sweat, and the houses aren’t waterproof either. They are going to sweat and let in water and once the bedding gets really damp you get fungal spores and the hedgehogs won’t know that the bedding is doing it they will just move onto a new nest but by then the damage is already done and it’s usually irreversible.
“There are hedgehogs houses. The inside needs to be at least the size of three loaves and there are companies buying ones that are no bigger than a single loaf and they get trapped. Then there are others made from thin wood and they warp and it’s a waste of people’s money.”
Ultimately, Andrea believes that more needs to be done to protect wild hedgehogs. Her mission – and the mission of all UK-based hedgehog rescues – is to change legislation.
“In the 1950’s we had 30+ million hedgehogs and we are now down to less than a million,” continued Andrea. “In the last ten years there has been the biggest decline and I am not saying it’s all down to hedgehog houses but a lot of it is to do with man.
“We need to start getting laws changed and give the hedgehogs more protection. They are supposed to be protected but the laws aren’t worth the paper they are written on.
“Hedgehogs don’t have the same level of protection as badgers and that needs to change. Badgers are on the increase and hedgehogs are on a sharp decline and they are an amazing animals to have in your garden. They clean up all the unwanted garden pests, so why not have them?
“People think they are doing the right thing by buying these homes but they are unwittingly endangering them.
“They believe that the big companies that are selling them will be selling them because they have done their research but the research is only being done after they have hit the shelves.”
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