DEFRA approves A24 trap to kill hedgehogs

More on the decline of hedgehogs - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/07/friends-of-the-furze-pig-rspca-urges-public-to-be-hedgehog-aware
Several are still coming every night to our garden and eating large quantities of food. Please remember to live out a shallow container of water for them, even if you can't feed them, as many will die in this blisteringly hot, dry weather without access to water.
 
Well, it's taken nearly a year, and a lot of wasted effort, when the original petition was cancelled after collecting thousands of signatures, because all petitions to Parliament were considered null and void after the General Election. There is now another petition, which needs to collect enough signatures to be considered for debate. I know it's a real pain and we all get bombarded by petitions for this and that, but I feel this one is important. I think the cancellation of existing petitions was very undemocratic, and I really hope this one can take off and reach as many people as the first attempt, with action to follow if public opinion appears strong enough. Please could you sign again, if you've not already done so? Hedgehogs are now coming out of hibernation, desperately searching for food, and the thought of them being caught in these traps is barbaric. Here's the link; please sign and share on Facebook or any other media that you use. Thank you.
https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/a24-rat-stoat-hedgehog-trap/
 
Signed again.
For the reason that these automatic traps can be left and forgotten in the environment, could only be made mechanically discriminating by size by reducing their effectiveness to that of a one shot rat/mouse trap (like thats going to happen) because it relies on predators to remove the last kill, and the person setting the trap (or the authorities) will have no way of knowing what they have killed - just how many, courtesy of the kill counter accessory if fitted.
... and no-one believes a bait fluid can be made that wont be attractive hedgehogs or any other omnivorous species for that matter.
 
I think 'our' hedgehogs are beginning to come out to feed on warmer days, so I've started to put down small quantities of hedgehog food for them, plus water of course. It's all disappearing but I'm concerned that it may be helping the rats instead of/as well as the hedgehogs. I lifted the lid on the feeder box last week and what I think was a rat ran out, it definitely wasn't a hedgehog. I know that most of the food was going to the hogs last summer as I used to go out after dark and lift the lid, often to discover a hog in the feeder box, also they had the unsavoury habit of leaving a poo on the plate as a thank-you present. I've not seen any rat droppings in the garden or around the feeder, though we have a thriving population of bank voles in the hedge at the bottom, and I don't mind feeding them if they eat the same stuff as hedgehogs. Our garden is set up with three hibernation boxes under the hedges, and also there was a sow breeding under the summerhouse, where I suspect we may have one or more hibernating as it's dry, safe and draught proof. I'm as sure as I can be that the rats aren't able to get into the chicken run or eat hen food or bird feeder food, but hedgehog food is a bit of a problem. Sort of the opposite of what Rick remarks on, above; we need a food attractive to hedgehogs and not to other omnivorous species!
 
Thanks for posting the update about this petition.

Two more signatures added. When I added it was up to 11,500.
 
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