Strikes me there is a big financial side to this fiasco which is being
overlooked.

Regardless of whether you think moving the animals is better than
culling them - the hedgehog rescuers are conning the public out of
their cash.

Here is why.

The cull is taking place on North Uist, where there aren't all that
many hedgehogs at the moment. The tactic seems to be nipping the
problem in the bud before they really get a toehold.

As a result, its kinda difficult to get hold of animals on North Uist
- whether you want to cull them or move them, they are still a rarity.

The culling team have I understand managed to dispatch only 30
hedgehogs after three weeks work.

But the really startling thing is that Uist Hedgehog Rescue - a
coalition including St Tiggywinkles and the British Hedgehog
Preservation Society - have only managed to remove ONE single solitary
hedgie from North Uist. And they started a week before the cullers
did.

Considering the tens of thousands of pounds in donations they have
received that seems a pretty poor strike rate for saving hedgehogs.

Sure they have moved a hundred or so hedgehogs off the Western Isles -
but they all came from South Uist and Benbecula - not North Uist where
the cull is taking place.

South Uist and Benbecula have a lot more hedgehogs so its obviously
easier to catch them there. This makes for great newspaper coverage
and everybody gets to pat themselves on the back and say "Aren't we
just dandy for saving the poor wee beasties."

But no. Because if you have only removed one animal from the area
where the cull is taking place, and are raising heaps of cash to do it
- then you are conning the people who are funding you.

Seems to me these groups see this cull as a huge money-making
opportunity, affording great publicity. As far as I can see it they
have saved one single animal at a cost to the charitable public of
over £70,000.

It just doesn't add up.