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Rasmussen SL, Schrøder BT, Berger A, Sollmann R, Macdonald DW, Pertoldi C, Alstrup AKO. Testing the Impact of Robotic Lawn Mowers on European Hedgehogs ( Erinaceus europaeus) and Designing a Safety Test. Animals (Basel) 2023; 14:122. [PMID: 38200853 PMCID: PMC10777904 DOI: 10.3390/ani14010122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous research has established that some models of robotic lawn mowers are potentially harmful to hedgehogs. As the market for robotic lawn mowers is expanding rapidly and the populations of European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) are in decline, it is important to investigate this risk further to understand the potential threat which some robotic lawn mowers may pose to hedgehogs. We tested 19 models of robotic lawn mowers in collision with hedgehog cadavers to measure their effect on hedgehogs. Our results showed that some models of robotic lawn mowers may injure hedgehogs, whereas others are not harmful to them. Apart from one single incidence, all robotic lawn mowers had to physically touch the hedgehog carcasses to detect them. Larger hedgehog cadavers were less likely to be "injured", with height being the most influential measure of size. The firmness of the tested hedgehog cadavers (frozen or thawed) did not influence the outcome of the collision tests. Neither the position of the hedgehog cadavers nor the selected technical features of the lawn mowers affected the probability of injury. Based on the results, we designed a standardised safety test to measure the effect of a specific model of robotic lawn mower on hedgehogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Lund Rasmussen
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK;
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark;
- Linacre College, University of Oxford, St. Cross Road, Oxford OX1 3JA, UK
| | - Bettina Thuland Schrøder
- Behavioral Ecology Group, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark;
| | - Anne Berger
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Rahel Sollmann
- Department of Ecological Dynamics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany;
| | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK;
| | - Cino Pertoldi
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark;
- Aalborg Zoo, Mølleparkvej 63, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Aage Kristian Olsen Alstrup
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 165, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark;
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 165, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark
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