New Zealand: Government wants to get rid of pest hedgehogs

In New Zealand, the government has launched a policy that it would be obvious to get rid of hedgehogs that are harmful. The aim is to kill these animals, which pose a threat to human life and health. Because these species have nuisance genes that would be necessary to get rid of.

Removing nuisance species

The New Zealand government is keen to protect the environment with all possible means to do so. That's why it thought of removing hedgehogs as a threat to the environment. Hedgehogs have almost no predators in the country. But they do deprive other animals of food.
Hedgehogs feed on insects and also on the eggs of other species. This situation does not leave the government indifferent. It is concerned about this threat to the country's wildlife. As in many countries where these small animals have predators, they unfortunately do not have enough in New Zealand.
Research has shown that hedgehogs feed on bird eggs and eat lizards. They are therefore insectivores that deprive other animals of food. That is why this danger must be eliminated from the country. They may not be as numerous in the country, but they are all over the place in gardens and other places they usually frequent.

An intention to keep these mammals away

The government's intention is not to eradicate this species from the land. But rather to allow its population to move away from these small mammals that are harmful to the environment. It is also about using this way to remove this species from the country. Some experts even suggest that they be returned to where they were brought by settlers, UK.
On the other hand, there are many calls to protect the species in this fight. These are calls to avoid causing suffering to this species. So the aim is not to kill for the sake of killing. But to kill them to keep them away. The authorities claim and justify that their concern is to protect the species in these areas.